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ALTARS  TO  MAMMON 


'MUST  I  BLOW  A  TIN  HORN  TO  LEAD  MEN  TO  GOD?" — Page  87. 


ALTARS 


TO 


MAMMON 


BY 


ELIZABETH   NEFF 

WITH    ILLUSTRATIONS   BY 

F.   DANA    MARSH 


NEW  YORK 

FREDERICK   A.  STOKES  COMPANY 
PUBLISHERS 


COPYRIGHT,  1908, 
BY  FREDERICK  A.   STOKES   COMPANY 


All  rights  reserved 
February,  1908 


AMY  CLARE  NEFF 


222S973 


LIST   OF   ILLUSTRATIONS 

Frontispiece 
"Musr  I  BLOW  A  TIN   HORN  TO  LEAD  MEN  TO  GOD?" 

Facing  page 
WITH    A    CURIOUS    EXPRESSION   THAT   WAS    NEITHER   APPEAL 

NOR  SCORNING, — BUT  SOMETHING  OF  BOTH        .         .         .       270 

"WHY  DON'T  You  RUN,  QUICK?" 310 


ALTARS  TO  MAMMON 


ALTARS  TO  MAMMON 


CHAPTER    I 

"  CAN'T  help  it,  sir ;  there's  no  train  for  Mogadonier  be- 
fore 'leven  ten,"  declared  the  ticket  agent,  but  the  tall 
passenger  frowned  at  him  unconvinced,  as  is  the  way  of 
passengers. 

"  But  the  agent  at  Baltimore " 

"  Yes,  I  know  he  did ;  but  they  don't  keep  run  of  our 
trains  back  East.  He  ought  to  told  you  that  the 
limited  don't  stop  at  Mogadonier.  It's  due  here  in  fif- 
teen minutes,  but  it  won't  do  you  no  good.  You'll  have 
to  wait  for  the  accommodation." 

"  And  the  accommodation  is  due ?  " 

«  At  'leven  ten." 

"  Two  hours  and  forty  minutes !  "  exclaimed  the  tall 
passenger  accusingly,  with  a  glance  at  the  clock. 

"  Can't  help  it,  sir,"  returned  the  man  of  trains,  a 
patient  smile  on  his  round,  fair,  perspiring  face. 
"  When  you  get  to  Mogadonier  you'll  wish  it  had  been 
longer — that  is Ever  been  there?" 

"  No." 

"  Thought  I'd  never  seen  you  before.  Goin'  to  stop 
there  long?  " 

"  Yes,  I'm  going  there  to  live." 

"Great  Caesar's  ghost!     You!" 

The  look  and  tone  were  so  incredulous  that  North- 


12  'ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

more  stopped  as  he  was  turning  away  and  asked, 
"What's  the  matter  with  Mogadonia?  " 

"  Great  Caesar!  What  ain't  the  matter  with  it?  It's 
the  meanest,  cussedest,  deadest  town  between — Chicago 
and  Baltimore.  That's  what's  the  matter  with  it.  I 
was  stationed  there  for  a  year  myself,  and  I  was  ready 
for  the  graveyard  when  I  got  out.  I  heard  there  was 
to  be  a  new  drug  store  started  there ;  perhaps  you're  in 
that  line?  " 

Northmore  gave  a  short  laugh.  "  No,  I'm  not  in 
that  line.  I'm  in — the — clerical  line.  I'm  going  there 
to  an  appointment." 

"  Oh,  yes ;  sure ;  in  Mr.  Martin's  place.  He  went 
through  here  the  first  of  the  week.  I  tell  you  he  was 
glad  to  get  away.  Well,  you're  a  mighty  different  sort 
from  Mr.  Martin — but  I  rather  think  that'll  make  the 
town  worse  yet  for  you.  It  was  about  his  level,  you 

know;  and  you Gracious!  Well,  I  s'pose  you 

have  to  take  what  comes.  Goin*  out  to  see  the  sights  ?  " 

"I  want  to  get  out  into  the  air.  What  is  there  to 
see?  "  He  stepped  to  the  door  and  looked  down  the 
irregular  old  street,  slumbering  in  the  hot  silence  of  the 
September  morning.  The  rows  of  thin-leaved  locust 
trees  cast  but  skeleton  shadows  on  the  board  walks. 
The  friendly  station  agent  had  followed  him,  loath  to 
be  left  alone. 

"  There's  not  much,"  he  confessed,  "  but  there's  more 
in  Bellevue  than  you'll  find  in  Mogadonier.  There's 
the  glass  works — some  folks  go  to  see  them — and  you'd 
be  interested  in  the  new  church,  bein*  a  preacher. 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  13 

They're  buildin'  one  of  the  finest  churches  here  that 
you'll  find  in  this  part  of  the  country — 'way  ahead  of 
this  town.  Go  straight  out  this  street  and  turn  to  the 

left  at  the  third  corner Why,  what's  happened?  " 

he  broke  off. 

A  slow  cavalcade  turned  the  third  corner  as  he 
pointed  to  it,  a  team  of  men  carrying  something  prone, 
which  the  two  watched  while  it  approached  the  station. 
A  man  in  workmen's  clothes,  his  head  wound  with  a  band- 
age, was  stretched  upon  the  cot  borne  by  his  com- 
panions, for  their  overalls  were  white  with  stone  dust 
and  mortar-splashed  like  his  own.  The  bearers  set  down 
their  burden  on  the  dusty  grass  under  a  tree  near  the 
barren  station  and  stood  looking  at  it,  hesitating  what 
to  do  next.  The  station  agent  stepped  over  at  once, 
followed  by  the  minister. 

"What's  the  matter?  Why,  it's  Quiggins!  What 
done  it?  " 

"  Accident  to  the  derrick — stone  slipped  again  and 
just  missed  smashing  him  to  pulp,"  replied  one  of  the 
two  stonecutters  who  spoke  English. 

"  I  hope's  it's  not  a  bad  hurt,  Quiggins,"  and  the 
agent  bent  sympathetically  over  the  sufferer. 

The  man  turned  his  face,  deathly  pale  under  the  black 
stubble  of  beard,  and  spoke  in  a  shaken  voice.  "  I 
guess  not — only  a  cut  across  my  head  and  a  broken  leg 
or  two — 'nough  to  lay  me  up  till  the  job's  finished  and 
it's  too  cold  to  get  another.  The  doctor  fixed  me  up 
as  good  as  he  could  to  go  home.  Might  just  as  well 
have  been  worse — this  time  o'  year." 


14  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

rt  You'd  like  a  glass  of  water,  I  think,"  suggested 
Northmore,  noting  the  dry  lips. 

"  I  would  that — the  best  kind,"  and  turning  to  the 
bearers,  "you  fellows  go  on  back  to  work.  I'll  lay 
right  here  till  the  train  comes,  and  you'll  be  docked  if 
you  stay  away  any  longer.  Go  on — don't  lose  any 
more  time — and  thank  you." 

"  What  train  do  you  take  ?  "  asked  Northmore,  re- 
turning with  a  glass  of  cold  water  from  the  adjoining 
house. 

"  'Leven  ten,  to  Mogadonia." 

"  Then  I  shall  be  glad  to  stay  and  look  after  him. 
You  can  leave  him  to  me;  I'm  waiting  for  that  train 
myself." 

The  man  who  had  lingered  glanced  at  him  gratefully. 
"All  right,  sir.  Thank  you.  Well,  good-bye,  Quig. 
Don't  lose  your  grip,  and  we'll  be  down  Sunday  to  see 
how  you're  gettin'  on.  The  gentleman  '11  stay  by  you 
till  train  time." 

Northmore  brought  a  chair  from  the  waiting  room, 
found  a  fan,  and  willingly  took  his  place  as  nurse  for 
the  next  two  hours  and  a  half. 

"  I  wonder  if  I  can't  get  you  something  for  a  pillow 
— wait,  yes,  I've  got  a  college  pillow  in  my  trunk  on  the 
platform  there."  It  took  but  a  moment  to  get  it,  and 
the  man  looked  up  gratefully. 

"  That's  better,"  he  said  weakly.  "  I  had  so  many 
hurts  I  forgot  I  had  a  head." 

"  You  have  had  a  narrow  escape.  I  hope  that  you'll 
find  you're  not  so  bad  as  you  feel  now ;  you  seem  to  be 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  15 

recovering  a  little  from  the  shock.  You  looked  so  white 
at  first  that  I  was  afraid  you  were — you  would  faint." 
Northmore's  tone  was  reassuring. 

"  I've  lost  my  j  ob  all  right.  It  was  a  mighty  close 
call — and  I  don't  know  yet  how  bad  it  may  be.  It's  a 
damned  shame,  too.  I'm  the  fifth  man  killed  on  that 
church.  Next  thing  that  rotten  old  boiler  '11  bust  and 
a  few  more  poor  fellows  '11  go  the  same  road." 

"  You  ought  to  notify  the  contractor  that  it  is  un- 
safe to  work  there." 

The  man's  eyes,  bright  with  pain,  turned  contempt- 
uously upon  his  companion.  "  You  ain't  a  workin' 
man,  and  you  think  like  all  the  rest  that  all  we've  got 
to  do  is  to  send  in  our  orders  for  improvements  and 
they're  brought  to  us  on  a  silver  plate." 

"  But  he  certainly  can't  ask  you  to  risk  your  lives  in 
your  daily  work — and  I  suppose  most  of  you  have  others 
depending  upon  you." 

"  That's  just  it.  He  knows  we've  got  others  to  feed 
— with  good  big  mouths — and  he  don't  ask  us  anything 
about  it;  he  makes  us  risk  our  lives  every  hour  we're 
there  because  he  knows  we've  got  to  have  the  work,  and 
because  we  know  there's  plenty  to  take  our  places  the 
minute  we  kick." 

Quiggins'  eyes  glowed  resentfully ;  he  went  on  with  a 
defiant  tone :  "  Now,  I  was  laid  off  nearly  all  summer, 
and  had  some  bad  luck  in  my  family,  and  got  this  job 
only  last  week  because  the  man  who's  doing  this  work 
thought  he'd  be  catched  by  winter  and  took  on  a  few 
more  men.  I  jumped  at  the  chance,  though  I  knew  it 


16  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

wouldn't  last  long — and  here,  within  seven  days,  I'm 
done  for!  I  tell  you,  if  that  stone  hadn't  glanced  I'd 
'a'  been  carried  home  in  a  bucket  like  the  last  poor  fellow 
was.  We  all  went  to  his  funeral,  and  the  preacher  said 
it  was  a  dispensation  of  Providence!  Now,  what  you 
s'pose  the  Lord  Almighty  let's  men  that's  workin'  on  a 
sixty-thousand-dollar  church  to  His  glory  get  smashed 
to  pulp  for?  Can't  He  get  'em  fast  'nough  other  ways 
— or  ain't  He  suited  with  their  churches?  Yes,  sir, 
that  white  necktie  dude  come  down  to  that  fellow's 
house  and  made  a  prayer  over  what  they  had  picked 
up  of  him — with  his  wife  and  five  little  children  in 
front  of  the  coffin — and  said  it  was  a  mysterious  '  dis- 
pensation of  Providence!'  Now,  wouldn't  that  jar 
you?" 

"  What  would  you  call  it  ? "  There  was  a  slight 
catch  in  Northmore's  breath  as  he  leaned  nearer.  He 
was  that  day  to  take  his  first  appointment,  and  this 
seemed  to  offer  a  golden  opportunity  for  a  bit  of  mis- 
sionary work.  He  waited  his  time  with  the  fervor  and 
confidence  of  the  novice. 

Quiggins  scowled  deeply  at  the  question,  irritated  by 
his  loss  scarcely  less  than  by  the  pain  he  seemed  to 
bear  with  fortitude :  "  I  would  call  it  pure  gall  in  that 
fellow  to  tell  the  Lord's  intentions — and  lie  about  'em. 
It  was  the  contractor's  meanness — that's  what  it  was. 
And  that  fellow  that  never  did  a  day's  work  in  his  life 
is  helpin'  to  wring  the  half  of  that  sixty-thousand-dollar 
church  out  of  this  poor  little  Bellevue  for  the  glory  of 
himself  and  the  glory  of  the  rich  man  that's  givin'  the 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  17 

other  half,  and  who's  the  wickedest  man  this  side  of 
the  river.  Then  he'll  prink  himself  in  that  pulpit  and 
preach  what  nobody  believes." 

Northmore  fairly  gasped  his  slow  answer :  "  You 
don't  realise  what  you  are  saying !  " 

No  such  heresy  had  been  considered  within  his  Semi- 
nary walls.  "  If  the  people  who  build  this  church  are 
poor  and  have  made  sacrifices  to  do  it,  it  will  be  dearer 
and  more  sacred  to  them." 

"  Don't  you  fool  yourself !  The  church  business  is 
a  played-out  fraud,  and  they  know  it  in  Bellevue  better 
than  most  places.  They  have  reason  to.  They  ain't 
doin'  this  of  their  own  free  will;  they're  doin'  it  under 
the  yoke  of  Tom  Morgan,  the  meanest  man  unhung; 
he's  crushin'  thirty  thousand  dollars  out  of  that  little 
congregation  to  match  thirty  thousand  'that  he  don't 
know  what  to  do  with.  Then  he'll  have  the  credit  of  it 
all,  here  and  hereafter — but  it'll  be  too  fine  for  the  rest 
of  the  town.  It's  a  heap  easier  way  to  get  to  Heaven 
than  the  old  Bible  way.  He  calls  it  rearin'  an  altar ;  it's 
hush  money  to  the  Lord,  that's  what  it  is — and  it's  a 
rich  man's  snap ;  workin'  men  have  no  use  for  the  church 
any  more." 

"  Can  you  tell  me  why  they  don't  ? — unless  you  are 
talking  too  much." 

"  No,  it  does  me  good — helps  to  forget  the  pain. 
Why,  my  sort  of  men  don't  go  to  church  because  there 
ain't  no  church  for  'em.  They  ain't  wanted  in  a  rich 
man's  church,  that's  mighty  sure,  and  they  won't  go  to 
the  *  tramps'  Paradise '  in  the  free  missions.  I  see 


myself  settin'  on  velvet  cushions  in  Tom  Morgan's  pew 
listenin'  to  that  white-necktie  dude  preach  honey  and 
wine  to  him — though  it's  a  livin'  lie." 

"  What  does  he  preach  that  is  false  ?  "  Northmore's 
controlled  tone  was  very  low. 

"  Oh,  the  whole  thing.  His  doctrines  is  all  right.  I 
ain't  findin*  fault  with  religion — but  his  members  don't 

work  at  it  week  days.  Like  this "  he  was  answering 

the  fire  of  Northmore's  eyes ;  "  the  Bible  says,  *  Love 
your  neighbour  like  you  do  yourself,'  and — they  love 
him  better — if  he's  got  money !  The  Bible  says,  '  Thou 
shalt  not  steal  anything,'  and  they  don't — unless  they 
get  their  hands  onto  it.  The  Bible  says,  *  Thou  shalt 
not  murder,'  and  your  good  deacon  never  does — on  a 
moonlight  night." 

"  A  general  assault  is  no  argument,"  there  was  relief 
in  Northmore's  drawn  face.  "  The  Church  has  been 
assaulted  in  all  ways  in  all  ages,  but  it  stands  triumphant 
— unharmed." 

Quiggins  was  so  eager  to  reply  that  he  tried  to  raise 
himself  on  one  arm,  forgetting  his  injuries.  "  But  I 
tell  you  it's  goin'  to  take  a  tumble  pretty  soon.  The 
world  is  gettin'  onto  some  things — and  the  church  don't 
stand  for  what  it  did  even  when  I  was  a  boy.  Why,  the 
worst  thing  you  can  say  about  a  business  man  is  that 
he's  a  roarin'  church  member — then  watch  him  close  in 
a  horse  trade !  Take  Mogadonia,  where  I  live.  There's 
three  churches,  besides  the  Catholic  and  a  few  little  de- 
nominations that  don't  count.  Every  one  of  them 
three  leading  churches  is  full  of  honest,  decent  men,  and 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  19 

yet  each  of  the  three  has  one  mean  man  that  queers  the 
whole  lot.  Now,  a  church  is  like  a  chain,  no  stronger 
than  its  weakest  link,  no  better  than  its  meanest  member. 
That's  a  fact  every  time;  it's  judged  from  the  meanest 
man  in  it.  People  say,  '  Look  at  Joe  Fury.  He's  a 
Presbyterian,  and  /  wouldn't  stoop  to  do  what  de  does.' 
And  Tom  Morgan — the  king  of  rascals." 

"What  has  he  done?" 

"  It  would  be  a  lot  easier  to  tell  you  what  he  hasn't 
done.  I'll  tell  you  one  thing,  though,  and  see  what  you 
say  to  it!  Tom  Morgan  made  his  start  in  a  little  fac- 
tory down  the  creek,  and  he'd  have  made  his  finish  there, 
too,  if  it  hadn't  been  for  a  man  that  worked  for  him,  a 
fellow  by  the  name  of  Ellis,  as  much  smarter  man  than 
Morgan  as  one  man  can  be  than  another.  This  Ellis, 
he  invented  a  machine  that  was  a  miracle  in  its  way ;  he'd 
worked  on  it  every  spare  minute  for  fifteen  years,  and 
spent  every  cent  he  could  skimp  on  it,  and  at  last  he 
got  it!  But  when  it  was  perfect  he  couldn't  patent 
it.  This  big  government  charges  a  tax  on  ideas,  and  he 
couldn't  raise  the  sixty  dollars  he  needed  to  get  it 
through.  He  had  a  sickly  wife,  too,  and  whenever  he'd 
get  a  little  saved  up  out  of  his  small  wages  she'd  take 
worse  and  it  would  have  to  go.  After  a  long  wait  he  got 
discouraged  and  saw  he'd  have  to  raise  it  on  a  loan — but 
nobody  would  lend  it  on  a  model.  At  last  he  took  it  to 
Morgan,  and  he  saw  at  a  glance  that  it  was  the  biggest 
thing  out  and  he  refused  to  lend  a  dollar  on  it — for  an- 
other man's  benefit.  He  offered  to  buy  the  thing  for 
two  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  and  patent  it  himself,  and 


20  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

that  was  all  he  would  do.  Ellis  begged  him  to  take  a 
half  interest — or  sixty  per  cent.  But  Morgan  is  pure 
hog,  and  he  knew  he  could  get  the  whole  thing.  Ellis 
held  out  against  him  and  his  family  turned  in  to  help 
him.  His  wife  took  in  washing  and  his  little  girl  stopped 
school  and  hired  out  to  work,  and  at  last  they  got 
it  together — the  very  day  that  Ellis's  wife  came  down 
with  an  awful  sickness.  The  money  was  all  gone  in  no 
time,  and  then  Mrs.  Ellis  had  to  be  taken  to  Pittsburgh 
for  an  operation  and  Ellis  had  to  raise  a  hundred  dollars 
quick;  it  was  a  case  of  life  and  death.  He  went  to 
Morgan  and  begged  him  to  take  a  four-fifths  interest 
for  a  hundred  dollars.  Did  he  do  it?  No,  sir-ee! 
Tom  Morgan  is  as  hard  as  rock  and  he  would  have  the 
whole  hog  or  none.  Did  Ellis  sell?  By  God,  he  had  to. 
He  signed  away  his  rights,  carried  over  his  little  machine 
and  delivered  it,  put  the  money  in  his  pocket  and  come 
home.  It  was  in  the  night.  He  stopped  on  the  way 
and  ordered  a  carriage  to  take  his  wife  to  the  midnight 
train — then  he  come  home.  I  was  settin'  in  his  porch. 
He'd  sold  out  his  life  an'  he  knew  it.  He  dropped  on 
the  bit  of  yard  inside  the  fence  like  he'd  been  knocked 
down,  and  rolled  over  quiet  and  tore  up  the  grass  by  the 
roots."  Quiggins  paused  to  get  the  choke  out  of  his 
voice  at  the  memory. 

"Did  Mrs.  Ellis  live?"  Northmore  was  breath- 
lessly interested. 

"  Oh,  yes,  in  a  way.  She  never  walked  again,  and 
Ellis  crippled  his  hand  after  a  while  and  lost  his  job. 
Morgan  was  glad  of  an  excuse  to  get  him  out  of  sight, 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  21 

and  turned  him  out  to  starve.  Now  would  you  say  the 
Lord  would  prosper  a  man  like  that  ?  " 

"Never!" 

"  You  bet  He  oughtn't  to !  And  if  you  was  a 
preacher,  would  you  butter  the  track  to  Heaven  for 
him?  You'd  say  that  money  ought  to  carry  a  curse, 
wouldn't  you  ?  But  he  wasn't  cursed — not  him !  He's 
made  money  out  of  that  patent  till  he  can't  count  it. 
He  built  a  palace  round  at  the  foot  of  Blue  Mountain 
that  looks  like  a  courthouse.  He  has  summer  homes  on 
the  ocean  and  winter  homes  in  the  South  and  boats  and 
automobiles.  His  wife  dresses  like  the  Queen  of  Sheba 
and  rides  in  a  yellow  band  waggon  with  two  monkeys 
in  uniform  on  behind  blowin'  a  horn,  and  his  sons  is 
off  to  some  big  college  with  nigger  men  to  dress  them. 
And  he  is  slick — slick  and  pious  !  Lord !  Butter  won't 
melt  in  his  mouth.  He's  high  mucky-muck  in  the 
church;  goes  with  his  Bible  under  his  arm,  and  makes 
speeches  to  the  Sunday  School  on  '  How  to  Lead  the 
Life  Beautiful,'  and  *  The  Golden  Rule  in  Everyday 
Life.'  That  was  to  the  Men's  Club  last  Sunday  after- 
noon. But  all  the  same  there's  a  girl's  grave  off  in  the 
swampy  corner  of  the  graveyard  that  he  filled  just  as 
sure  as  if  he'd  shot  her — and  not  half  so  merciful,  either ! 
And  in  a  cold  little  shanty  over  on  the  spur  at  Moga- 
donia  there's  two  livin'  wrecks  slowly  dyin*  of  broken 
hearts  and  starvation ;  that's  Ellis  and  his  wife.  Now, 
what  do  you  s'pose  Tom  Morgan  does  for  them  out  of 
all  the  millions  he's  rolled  up  on  their  patent?  Not  a 
thing !  Not  one  blamed  cent  ?  " 


22  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

"  Then  he  cannot  know  of  their  need." 

*'  Don't  you  fool  yourself — though  you  wouldn't 
think  a  man  could  be  so  hard  clear  to  the  grave.  But, 
I  say,  if  Divine  law  ain't  to  make  men  better  than  human 
law,  what  is  it  good  for?  I'm  a  poor  man  and  I  never 
had  a  dollar  yet  that  I  didn't  get  hard  and  honest,  but  I 
wouldn't  be  caught  sneakin'  through  the  gates  of 
Heaven  'long  side  of  such  a  towerin'  rascal  as  Tom  Mor- 
gan. No,  sir!  I'll  walk  into  Hell  with  my  head  up — 
and  I  notice  some  awful  good  company  goin'  that  way, 
too.  Now,  the  best  man  in  my  town  don't  belong  to  no 
church,  and  I  know  one  reason  is  that  he  won't  herd  with 
such  frauds  as  Joe  Fury  and  'Lije  Sims  and  Tom  Mor- 
gan— that's  Proctor  Garnett Kn.ow  him?  Well, 

he's  the  squarest  man  I  ever  worked  for,  and  he  don't 
blow  his  religion  on  a  trumpet;  he  don't  have  to.  He 
lives  it.  His  work  is  his  profession  and  his  pay  roll 
is  his  creed,  and  they're  louder'n  trumpets.  I'll  bet 
on  his  chances,  but  the  preacher  that'll  stand  up  in 
front  of  Tom  Morgan  and  take  pay  for  his  salva- 
tion is  a  liar — and  everybody  knows  it.  If  he  don't 
take  that  chance  to  say,  *  Tom  Morgan,  you're  a 
damned  thief  and  murderer ! '  he'll  never  pass  out  free 
grace  to  a  workin'  man  in  this  county — though  likely 
we're  not  the  men  he  cares  to  save  anyway.  I  wouldn't 
touch  a  preacher  like  that  with  a  poker — and  that's 
why  workin'  men  don't  go  to  church.  We  see  the  rough 
side  of  religion.  And  where  are  we  wanted,  anyhow? 
If  you're  rich,  you  can  live  any  way  you  please,  and 
buy  salvation.  If  you're  a  dead  beat,  you  can  have  it 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  23 

for  charity;  but  if  you're  just  a  common  man  that 
works  hard  for  every  cent  you  get,  you  can  go  to  Eter- 
nal Smoke ! " 

Quiggins  stopped,  panting,  and  Northmore  gave  him 
a  drink  with  a  trembling  hand.  The  man  had  worked 
himself  into  a  white  heat;  great  drops  stood  on  his 
forehead,  but  for  once  he  had  spoken.  He  looked 
searchingly  at  Northmore  for  an  answer,  and  saw  that 
his  face  was  livid.  "  Of  course,"  he  added  quickly, 
"  you  ain't  a  workin'  man,  and  you  see  the  hand-pol- 
ished side  of  it;  likely  you  belong  yourself,  and  I 
ain't  sayin'  one  word  against  the  bulk  of  good  peo- 
ple that  does  belong.  I  only  blame  them  for  bowin' 
down  to  the  big  robbers." 

"  What  ought  they  to  do?  " 

"  Oh,  that's  their  lookout." 

"  Suppose  you  were  a  preacher?  " 

"  Me  a  preacher  ?  "  He  gave  a  scornful  little  laugh. 
"  Me  a  preacher !  Oh,  Lord,  I'd  ruther  work  for  a 
livin*.  I'd  have  to.  I'd  never  take  a  dollar  of  blood 
money  from  any  man  unless  I  earned  it.  Suppose  you 
was  a  preacher  yourself,  could  you  keep  from  tellin* 
Tom  Morgan  that  he  ought  to  go  to  Hell?  Could  you 
stand  up  and  take  pay  for  not  tellin'  him  so?  " 

Northmore  drew  a  long  breath  and  hesitated  for  a 
full  minute.  "  No,  I  could  not,"  he  said  at  last  with 
the  solemnity  of  a  man  taking  oath  of  office.  He  real- 
ised how  completely  he  had  forgotten  Quiggins'  dis- 
ability, and  bent  over  to  shift  him  a  little.  The  man 
noticed  the  white  pain  in  his  face. 


24  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

"  I  guess  the  blood  turns  you  a  bit  sick,"  he  said. 
"  Maybe  you  could  get  a  glass  of  something  over  at 
the  saloon.'9 

"  Oh,  no,  I'm  all  right.  I  hope  that  you  haven't 
talked  yourself  into  a  fever." 

"  Not  much !  Did  me  good.  I  haven't  freed  my 
mind  like  that  for  many  a  year  before.  I'm  well  enough 
to  walk  if  my  legs  was  any  good.  Did  you  say  that 
you  was  goin'  to  Mogadonia  ?  " 

"  Yes." 

"You  don't  live  there?" 

"  I  am  going  there  to  live." 

Northmore's  manner  precluded  the  one  more  question 
Quiggins  would  have  liked  to  ask,  and  he  had  to  content 
himself  with  studying  the  big,  forceful  young  figure  and 
cultivated  face  and  trying  to  fit  the  man  into  some  niche 
in  his  town — but  none  was  appropriate.  After  a  try- 
ing little  silence  Northmore  produced  a  .magazine  and 
read  an  entertaining  travel  sketch  to  Quiggins,  who 
listened  with  intelligent  appreciation  until  train  time. 
When  his  charge  had  been  safely  stowed  in  the  baggage 
car,  where  he  found  an  acquaintance,  Northmore  went 
to  his  own  seat,  conscience-smitten  that  this  first  oppor- 
tunity for  missionary  work  had  found  him  dumb.  What 
had  he  come  out  from  the  Seminary  to  do? 


CHAPTER  H 

"  MOG-A-DO-NIER  !  Mog-a-Jo-nier ! "  trumpeted  the 
brakeman  in  notes  of  sonorous  melancholy.  Northmore 
roused  with  a  start  from  his  abstraction  and  glanced  out 
to  see  the  town,  but  from  the  level  of  the  hillsides  saw 
that  the  train  had  stopped  on  a  high  trestle.  He  took 
down  his  luggage  deliberately  and  strapped  in  the  book 
he  had  not  been  reading.  The  conductor  turned  back 
at  the  door  with  a  solemn  repetition  of  the  warning  and 
the  brakeman  looked  in  to  make  the  same  remark. 

"  Don't  you  go  to  the  station  ?  "  asked  the  young 
man  defensively. 

"  This  is  it  now,"  retorted  the  man  of  buttons,  with 
an  air  of  ended  responsibility. 

"  Yes,  this  is  the  station,"  confirmed  a  pleasant 
young  fellow  passing  Northmore  on  his  way  out,  and  the 
latter  caught  up  his  suit  case  and  plunged  after  him, 
landing  upon  the  flat  roof  of  the  two-story  station 
building  which  connected  the  high-level  bridge  with  the 
town  crouched  in  the  valley  beneath.  Northmore  stepped 
back  to  look  after  Quiggins,  who  was  at  once  sur- 
rounded by  the  loafers  that  lined  the  railing  of  the  roof 
platform  and  who  peppered  him  with  questions.  North- 
more  briefly  told  the  story,  and  selected  an  escort  of 
volunteers  to  carry  Quiggins  to  his  home,  which  was  not 
far  away.  While  he  was  thus  engaged  two  shabby  men 

25 


26  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

were  pulling  at  his  suit  case  and  quarrelling  with  each 
other  about  the  respective  merits  of  the  two  hotels,  the 
Great  International  and  the  Grand.  Having  provided; 
for  Quiggins,  Northmore  was  about  to  make  a  random 
selection  when  a  tall,  stooped  old  man  with  a  little  hang- 
man's beard  rose  from  the  stairs  and  crossed  to  him,  as 
he  appeared  to  be  the  only  stranger: 

"  I'm  lookin'  fur  a  preacher  on  this  train — but  I 
reckon  he  didn't  come.  A  preacher — name  o'  North- 
more." 

The  young  man  smiled  oddly  and  the  group  paused 
to  listen.  "  My  name  is  Northmore,"  he  said ;  "  and 
I  am — a  preacher." 

The  man  on  the  cot  lifted  his  bandaged  head  in  ex- 
citement :  "  Good  Lord !  A  preacher !  Well,  you 
don't  look  it !  You  might  have  told  me — and  you  takin' 
care  of  me  all  the  time.  Well,  sir,  I'm  sorry  I  hurt  your 
feelin's — but  I  pity  you." 

"  It's  no  matter,"  said  Northmore,  taking  his  hand. 
"  I  am  glad  you  talked  freely.  It  was  a  rare  oppor- 
tunity to  get  that  viewpoint,  and  I  drew  you  out.  I 
shall  come  to  see  how  you  are  getting  on.  I  hope  you 
are  not  bad.  Good-bye." 

"  Good-bye,"  said  the  man  heartily ;  "  good-bye,  and 
thank  you.  The  first  time  I'm  able,  I'm  coming  to  hear 
you  preach." 

"  Do,"  and  Northmore  turned  to  the  old  man  who 
stood  waiting  for  his  attention  and  who  had  shaken  his 
hand  cordially  while  he  was  still  speaking  to  Quiggins. 

"  This  way,  Brother  Northmore ;  I'm  mighty  glad  to 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  27 

see  you — but  I'd  never  'a'  took  you  fur  a  preacher — 
never.  Here,  you,  Dan,  let  his  carpet  sack  alone.  He 
puts  up  at  my  tavern  this  trip. — My  name's  Pocock — 
Square  Pocock,  I'm  ginerally  called." 

"  No — I'll  carry  that  myself,  Squire ;  I  am  glad  to 
know  you — and  you  were  most  kind  to  meet  me.  You 
lead  the  way  down  and  I'll  follow.  What  a — singular 
location  your  town  has !  "  Northmore  added  cautiously, 
glancing  down  at  the  smoky  roofs  and  black-cindered 
streets  of  his  future  dwelling-place.  The  heterogeneous 
buildings  told  of  struggling  growth,  the  principal  ones 
huddled  for  lack  of  space  in  the  valley  under  the 
trestle,  while  the  dwellings  wound  in  crooked  lines  up 
the  hillsides  as  high  as  they  could  cling,  terraced  gar- 
dens showing  still  higher  behind  them,  over  their  roofs. 
At  the  northern  end  of  the  valley  loomed  a  promontory 
of  bleached  limestone  known  as  "  Old  Whiteface,"  at 
whose  base,  on  a  tiny  green  flat,  lay  the  squire's  old 
house,  low  and  wide,  almost  hidden  by  a  huge  grey 
boulder  that  had  sometime  fallen  from  the  cliff,  and 
stockaded  by  a  wall  of  smaller  boulders,  evidently  built 
to  get  them  off  the  ground. 

"  Here  we  air,"  said  his  host,  ushering  the  minister 
into  a  parlour  gorgeous  with  gilt  paper  and  gay  Brus- 
sels carpet.  "  Jest  walk  in  and  make  yourself  to  home 
while  I  call  M'ria." 

Northmore  seated  himself  upon  the  yellow  plush  chair 
indicated,  facing  a  remarkable  work  of  art  upon  a  table 
in  the  middle  of  the  room,  comprising  a  pallid  ear  of 
green  corn,  a  cucumber,  and  a  lemon  surmounting  a 


28  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

basket  of  peaches  and  tomatoes,  done  in  wax  and  cov- 
ered by  a  glass  dome.  He  had  scarcely  done  justice  to 
the  artistic  fidelity  of  the  production  when  the  squire 
returned  with  his  elderly  daughter,  his  feminine  counter- 
part, tall,  spare,  slow  of  speech,  with  thin  black  hair 
carefully  crimped  above  her  narrow,  dark  face.  There 
was  that  in  the  manner  of  the  two  which  touched  the 
heart  of  the  young  minister;  a  reverence  for  the  emis- 
sary of  God,  whom  they  seemed  to  hold  it  an  exalted 
privilege  to  entertain.  The  large,  worn  Bible  on  its 
little  stand  was  the  most  conspicuous  thing  in  the  living 
room  adjoining,  and  exhaled  the  atmosphere  of  the 
house,  a  permeating  holiness  which  lingered  in  this 
primitive  seclusion  undispelled.  Miss  Maria  extended 
a  cordial  hand.  "  Pa  an'  me  air  jest  awful  glad  to  hev 
you  here,  Mr.  Northmore,  an'  we  hope  you  won't  mind 
our  bein'  such  plain  folks.  We  ain't  got  no  style  nor 
no  newfangled  ways,  but  we  want  you  to  make  yourself 
all  the  more  to  home  fur  that.  No,  pa,  he  won't  hev 
time  now,  fur  dinner  is  ready.  You  show  him  to  his 
room  whilst  I  set  it  up." 

Savory  hints  of  this  dinner  had  cheered  Northmore 
on  his  way  up  to  the  house,  but  even  his  hungry  scent 
had  not  foretold  its  bounty.  Its  royal  abundance  and 
quaint  service,  its  shining  linen,  horn-handled  cutlery, 
and  the  mulberry  ware  of  another  generation  not  only 
furnished  forth  a  gladdening  feast  but  delighted  his 
eye  as  well. 

"  Now,  Brother,  just  light  in  an'  help  yourself  like 
you  was  at  home,"  urged  the  squire,  when  grace  had 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  29 

been  offered.  "  You'd  better  tackle  that  fried  chicking 
fust,"  he  added,  as  the  guest  did  not  respond.  "  Them 
springers  is  small  yet,  but  thar's  plenty  of  'em." 
Which  was  obvious,  for  the  platter  was  piled  with  ex- 
quisitely browned  joints.  Northmore  understood  that 
he  was  to  serve  himself,  but  his  host  was  not  satisfied 
with  his  selection  and  added  a  few  choice  pieces,  follow- 
ing them  in  succession  with  mashed  potatoes,  cream 
gravy,  big  pearly  "  roasting  ears,"  amber  candied  yams, 
stuffed  tomatoes,  jellies  in  coloured  glasses,  salad,  and 
pickles  of  many  varieties  and  overpowering  abundance. 
Miss  Maria  did  not  sit  down  with  the  two  men,  but 
stood,  white-aproned,  to  pass  foamy  biscuits,  hot  from 
the  oven,  and  aromatic  coffee  in  old  hexagonal  cups, 
with  thick  yellow  cream.  When  the  minister  had  done 
flattering  justice  to  the  dinner"  in  sight,  she  cleared  the 
table  and  brought  an  array  of  pies, — three  kinds, — an 
old-fashioned  pound  cake,  and  translucent  "  preserves," 
in  little  glass  saucers.  The  gloom  which  had  settled 
upon  Northmore's  heart  at  the  experience  of  the  morn- 
ing lifted  perceptibly.  Mogadonia  might  be  a  spiritual 
Gethsemane — but  there  were  physical  compensations. 
He  was  young,  healthy,  and  fiercely  hungry. 

After  dinner  the  two  men  sat  in  the  let-in  porch  at 
the  front  of  the  house,  drowsy  with  the  still  heat  of 
the  afternoon.  It  was  deeply  quiet  except  for  the 
happy,  discordant  roulade  of  Miss  Maria's  hens,  which 
gathered  in  the  shade  of  the  house,  their  wings  hanging 
for  coolness  and  one  foot  cautiously  suspended  at  sight 
of  the  stranger.  The  squire  talked  droningly  for  a 


30  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

little  while,  but  fell  asleep  in  the  middle  of  the  story  he 
was  telling,  and  Northmore  was  not  sorry  to  be  left 
alone  with  his  problems  of  life.  He  looked  at  the  circle 
of  hilltops  which  barricaded  the  valley  from  the  world 
outside,  and  wondered  at  the  chance  which  had  sent  him 
to  this  remote  spot  for  his  first  battle  with  the  world- 
sin  he  was  armoured  to  attack.  He  expected  appoint- 
ment to  a  flourishing  suburban  chapel  which  he  had 
helped  to  found  and  where  he  had  acceptably  preached 
during  his  vacations,  and  had  been  so  assured  of  it  that 
he  was  not  yet  quite  certain  that  Magadonia  was  not  a 
part  of  the  dream-stuff  that  had  seemed  to  envelop  him 
ever  since  he  started  on  his  journey  to  it.  He  knew 
that  the  Auburndale  congregation  had  sent  an  almost 
unanimous  request  for  him,  and  on  the  fateful  morning 
of  the  Conference  when  the  appointments  were  read  he 
had  settled  comfortably  in  his  seat  with  a  feeling  of 
pity  for  those  who  were  in  suspense.  Auburndale  was 
so  high  in  the  alphabet  that  he  was  immediately  startled 
to  hear,  "  Auburndale,  James  Bennett."  It  was  a  mis- 
take! He  would  wait  and  hear  its  correction.  He 
drummed  his  knee  with  impatient  fingers  while  the  list 
went  on.  Far  down  the  line  the  monotonous  voice  of  the 
reader  reached,  "  Mogadonia,  R.  D.  Northmore."  A 
thin  man  beside  him  relaxed  the  tense  muscles  of  his 
forehead  and  breathed  a  devout,  "  Thank  God ! " 
Northmore  turned  on  him  quickly,  "  Were  you  there 
last?"  The  man  nodded.  A  little  later,  as  the  assem- 
bly dispersed,  exchanging  comments  and  congratula- 
tions, one  of  the  prominent  ministers  had  taken  his  hand 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  31 

kindly  with  the  admonition :  "  Don't  be  discouraged  in 
the  beginning,  Northmore.  You  young  fellows  must 
prove  your  mettle,  and  there  are  more  souls  to  save  in  a 
hard  charge  than  a  good  one.  Be  faithful  and  God 
will  bless  you — and  the  bishop  reward  you  later." 

This  had  passed  lightly  enough  at  the  time,  but  it 
came  back  seriously  now  that  he  was  a  citizen  of  the 
town,  a  responsible  factor  in  its  life.  The  man 
Martin's  weak  face  rose  before  him  with  that  "  Thank 
God ! "  upon  its  lips.  He  thought  Mogadonia  had 
terrors — but  there  might  be  a  difference  in  standards — 
and  ability.  Northmore  smiled  with  the  arrogance  of 
virile  youth,  and  stretched  his  long  legs,  cramped  with 
the  day's  inactivity.  What  trouble  could  there  be  in  this 
church  for  a  six-foot  young  fellow  equipped  with  all 
that  the  Seminary  could  give  him  of  fresh  artillery? 
He  was  rather  sorry  to  have  drawn  such  small  game. 
He  stood  looking  out  over  the  landscape  for  a  few  min- 
utes, when  his  host  woke  himself  with  a  deep  nod  and 
coughed  apologetically. 

"  I  did  not  see  Mr.  Martin  long  enough  to  ask  him 
anything  about  the  size  and  condition  of  the  church 
here.  I  hope  that  both  are  pretty  fair?  " 

The  squire  sat  upright,  wiped  some  glistening  drops 
from  his  smooth  scalp  with  a  red  handkerchief,  coughed 
again,  and  waved  a  chicken  off  the  porch  before  he  re- 
plied. 

"  Wall,  yas,  it's  what  you  might  call  middlin' — • 
fair  to  middlin' — as  churches  go.  There's  allus  some 
gits  soured  toward  the  last  and  gits  out  of  payin'  dues, 


32  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

but  them's  the  ones  takes  hardest  to  the  new  preacher. 
Brother  Martin  were  a  powerful  good  man — but — I 
reckon  he  were — were  a  leetle  slow  fur  Mogadonia.  This 
is  a  lively  town,  an'  we  need  a  live  man  in  it ;  why,  we've 
growed  over  two  hundred  in  popilation  in  the  last  ten 
year !  Then  his  wife  bein'  sickly  sort  o'  helt  him  back. 
They  say  he  had  to  wash  and  dress  them  seven  chillern 
fur  school,  an'  he  has  been  seen  bakin'  bread.  Rock 
Creek  '11  suit  him  better'n  what  Mogadonia  did.  You 
ain't  married,  Brother  Northmore?  " 

"  No." 

"  Yas,  that  was  what  we  wanted.  We  'lowed  a 
preacher  with  fam'ly  trouble  oughtn't  to  tackle  sech  a 
big  place.  We're  sort  o'  wore  out  with  fam'ly 
troubles." 

Northmore  laughed.  ".Then  you  think  a  church  can 
furnish  a  full  line  of  infelicities  without  domestic  assist- 
ance. Isn't  that  rather  hard  on  the  church?  " 

"  Wall,  I  never  heard  of  a  church  that  didn't  hev  a 
scrimmage  now  an'  agin.  It  'pears  that  folks  take  their 
human  natur'  with  'em,  even  into  the  sanctuary.  I 
reckon  that's  the  reason  they  hev  to  die  to  git  to  glory ; 
they  can't  shed  their  natur  till  they  cast  off  the  flesh." 

The  squire  studied  the  stone  fence  with  the  reserve  of 
a  man  who  is  no  informer,  and  Northmore  deeply  re- 
spected the  heroism  which  could  withstand  the  chance  to 
give  his  side  first  to  the  new  minister ;  he  also  divined 
that  a  feud  of  no  common  order  disrupted  his  church. 

"  What  a  magnificent  landscape ! "  he  said,  turning 
away  to  release  the  squire  from  the  personal  subject. 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  33 

"  Er — what  was  it  you  seen  ?  " 

"  This  beautiful  bit  of  country ;  it  is  interesting  as 
well  as  beautiful." 

The  old  man  looked  at  him  in  amused  wonder: 
"  Um-m,  yas,  it's  interestin'  to  know  how  to  get  a  livin* 
off  it,  but  I  reckon  you're  the  fust  man  ever  thought  it 
was  handsome.  They  is  some  right  pretty  corn  bottoms 
on  the  other  side  bf  Whiteface,  an'  a  leetle  medder  land 
on  the  slope  up  thar,  but  the  rest — wall,  you  wouldn't 
see  no  beauty  in  it  ef  you  had  to  plough  round  them 
rocks.  The  fields  is  tilted  up  slaunch^wise  and  sot  kit- 
terin'  an'  no  airthly  good  fur  anything  but  sheep ;  you'd 
need  to  hang  your  plough  on  a  rope  to  cultivate  'em,  an* 
cattle  can't  graze  thar  good  without  claws."  The 
squire  never  laughed,  but  his  smile  broke  unusual  lines 
in  his  rutted  face  as  he  enjoyed  this  bit  of  chaff  with 
the  new  minister.  Northmore  laughed  good-naturedly : 
"  It  is  pretty  rough  for  farming  land ;  that's  a  fact ; 
but  I  wasn't  looking  at  it  from  that  point  of  view,"  he 
answered. 

"  Wall,  I  dunno  any  other  view  could  be  took  of  it 
but  as  farm  land.  It  don't  grow  no  timber  wuth  any- 
thing. The  trees  is  so  twisted  you  can't  hardly  split 
'em  for  firewood." 

"  I'm  afraid  I  wasn't  thinking  of  usefulness  at  all. 
It  struck  me  as  a  noble  page  of  the  Almighty's  history 
— the  story  of  Creation.  This  great  outcrop — White- 
face,  did  you  call  it?  " 

"  Yas,  Ole  Whiteface." 

"  Whiteface  has  been  thrown  up  there  as  an  index  of 


84  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

chapters,  the  succeeding  chapters  of  the  earth's  physical 
history;  this  big  granite  boulder  which  has  possession 
of  your  lawn  must  be  a  dropped  page  from  the  great 
central  moraine  which  was  carried  down  from  the  north- 
west in  vast  ice  fields.  It  is  the  finest  example  I  have 
ever  seen ;  I  shall  report  it  to  the  State  geologist.  He 
could  tell  at  a  glance  just  when  it  was  deposited  here. 
See  this  groove  along  the  side — and  the  polish  higher 

up  where  it  has  rubbed "  exclaimed  the  young  man 

enthusiastically. 

"Huh?  Was  you  wantin'  to  know  how  that  grey- 
head  come  here?  "  demanded  the  squire  in  blank  amaze- 
ment. 

"  Yes.  Of  course  it  dropped  to  that  particular  spot 
from  the  cliff  above,  but  it  is  evident  that  it  was  carried 
there  by  glacial  force,  for  it  is  a  totally  different  kind 
of  stone  from  the  limestone  outcrop,"  pursued  North- 
more  with  the  delight  of  the  late  college  man. 

The  squire  stared  at  him  incredulously.  "  Was  you 
thinkin'  that  ole  greyhead  floated  here  in  the  ice, 
Brother  Northmore?  " 

"Yes." 

" If  that  don't  beat  all!  Wall,  I  kin  tell  you  it  never 
done  no  such  thing !  I  was  born  in  this  county,  and  my 
father  lived  here  all  his  life,  an'  ef  Indian  Creek  ever 
rose  high  enough  or  froze  hard  enough  to  fetch  a  rock 
like  that  over  the  tops  of  them  hills,  I'd  V  heered  tell 
of  it.  Why,  that  greyhead  weighs  over  two  ton!  Ef 
you  re'ly  want  to  know  how  it  did  come  here,  I  kin  tell 
you ;  that  rock  was  sot  thar  by  the  Lord  God  Almighty 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  35 

Himself,  Creator  of  Heaven  an'  Yearth,  on  the  Day 
of  Creation.  That's  how  it  come  in  my  front  yard,  an' 
that's  why  it  stays  thar,  though  it's  a  queer  thing  fur 
me  to  be  tellin'  a  minister  of  the  gospil.  Folks  has 
often  asked  me  why  I  let  it  stay,  an'  I  tell  'em  it  ain't 
because  it's  too  heavy  to  move.  It's  because  the  Lord 
God  put  it  thar,  an'  I  reckon  that  are  whar  He  wanted 
it  to  stay.  Maybe  them  dents  an'  hollers  in  it  is  the 
prints  of  His  own  hand  when  it  was  soft.  That's  why 
I  let  it  stay,"  and  the.  old  man  regarded  it  with  shocked 
reverence. 

"  Ah-h !  "  breathed  Northmore  with  startled  enlight- 
enment and  a  quick  movement  backward  as  if  he  were 
losing  his  footing.  He  added  aloud :  "  I  will  walk 
over  to  the  church  now,  if  you  will  direct  me." 

"  I  kin  go  'long  an'  show  you  the  way,"  answered  his 
companion  with  odd  reluctance.  "  It's  right  hot  yet — 
but — maybe  it's  as  good  a  time  as  any.  I'll  show  you 
the  way." 

They  went  slowly  down  to  the  centre  of  the  town, 
and  the  squire  resumed  in  a  paternal  tone :  "  I  hope  I 
ain't  hurt  your  feelin's  none,  Brother,  but  I  know  what 
a  lot  of  blasphemious  readin'  young  folks  is  put  up  to 
now'days.  I  had  a  time  to  git  my  girl  broke  of  readin' 
'em  when  she  was  in  school.  I  tole  her  the  Lord  would 
'a'  give  us  more'n  one  book  ef  that  wasn't  all  He  wanted 
us  to  read,  an'  life  ain't  hardly  long  enough  fur  that. 
Why,  in  my  day  we  was  brought  up  on  the  Bible. 
Christians  never  thought  of  readin'  anything  else.  I've 
set  up  nights  as  late  as  ten  o'clock — when  I  was  younger 


36  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

— to  read,  an'  there's  chapters  in  Revelation  I  ain't  got 
by  heart  yet.  I've  had  a  reasonable  long  life,  too,  but 
it  ain't  ben  too  long  to  get  ready  fur  the  Day  of  Judg- 
ment, an'  I  never  wasted  an  hour  yit  on  ongodly  readin'. 
No,  Brother,  the  Lord  never  give  us  no  sech  stuff  as 
you've  ben  at,  to  read." 

"  I  don't  agree  with  you  there,"  and  Northmore's 
tone  was  tolerantly  earnest.  "  I  think  that  the  Lord 
gave  us  no  more  because  He  wanted  us  to  work  out  the 
rest  for  ourselves.  Neither  did  He  clothe  us  with  fur 
nor  give  us  caves  to  live  in.  But  He  did  give  us  brains, 
and  hands  with  which  to  plant  and  build  and  spin  for 
ourselves  in  accordance  with  His  design.  Our  reason 
is  our  noblest  function,  and  I  am  sure  that  He  never 
meant  it  to  be  atrophied  by  religion.  He  means  us  to 
think — and  discover." 

The  squire  struggled  with  this  proposition  in  evident 
alarm.  It  was  some  time  before  he  answered  in  a  slow 
summing  up  of  the  whole  question :  "  Wall,  I've  lived  a 
heap  longer'n — any  young  man,  an'  I  never  knew  a  Bible 
Christian  to  die  onsaved  yit — but  I  have  knowed  a 
plenty  that  read  books  to  die  in  their  sins." 

Northmore  made  no  reply  to  this  sweeping  conclusion, 
and  the  squire  added  kindly,  "  Ef  young  folks  was  so 
made  as  they  could  take  a  leetle  advice,  now  an'  again, 
of  them  that's  lived  longer,  they'd  larn  without  burnin' 
their  own  fingers.  That's  what  I  tole  the  stewards  when 
they  said  it  was  your  fust  station ;  '  Jest  be  a  leetle 
easy  on  him  an'  give  him  good  advice  now  an'  again,  an' 
he'll  soon  larn,'  says  I." 


'ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  37 

"  Thank  you,"  said  the  minister  with  a  queer  blending 
of  patience  and  consternation  in  his  face  as  he  looked 
down  from  his  stalwart  youth  upon  the  bowed  figure 
that  had  come  out  of  the  past  to  lead  him  backwards. 
By  and  by,  retarding  his  pace  to  the  squire's  feeble  gait, 
he  drew  out  the  details  of  the  church  dissension.  It 
had  begun — wall,  there  was  no  tellin'  when  it  had  begun 
unless  it  was  with  the  building  of  the  church,  and  fac- 
tions had  been  forming  and  re-forming  ever  since.  There 
was  the  building  feud  and  the  organ  feud  and  the  mort- 
gage feud,  and  now — well,  now,  it  was  a  combination  of 
all  these,  with  an  added  element  in  the  parsonage  trouble. 
It  was  a  leetle  rumpus,  but  maybe  the  coming  of  a  new 
minister  would  sort  of  shame  it  away.  They  were  walk- 
ing down  Main  Street  at  this  stage  of  the  history — it 
was  the  merest  outline — and  the  squire  waited  to  con-, 
tinue  in  a  less  public  place.  Not  that  there  were  many 
people  on  Main  Street,  but  they  made  up  in  interest 
what  they  lacked  in  numbers. 

A  group  of  collarless  idlers  smoked,  whittled,  and 
gossiped  on  the  post  office  steps ;  they  ceased  all  other 
occupation  to  give  attention  to  the  stranger.  A  young 
woman  in  a  pink  wrapper  and  white  sunbonttet  strolled 
before  them  down  the  sidewalk,  stopping  to  put  her 
head  in  at  the  open  window  of  the  millinery  store  and 
ask  whose  hat  was  being  trimmed.  The  milliner, 
glancing  up,  saw  the  stranger  over  her  shoulder,  and  the 
girl,  following  the  gaze,  gave  a  little  scream  and  darted 
into  the  bakery  next  door,  as  if  Main  Street  was  nor- 
mally as  secluded  on  a  warm  afternoon  as  her  own  back 


38  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

porch.  A  knot  of  boys  stopped  disputing  the  owner- 
ship of  a  hideous  mask  to  stare  oppressively,  while  a 
negro  with  a  wheelbarrow  of  melons  put  down  the  han- 
dles to  ask  if  Northmore  were  the  congressman.  One 
of  the  hotel  runners  who  had  heard  his  name  at  the 
station  in  the  morning  was  on  the  porch  of  the  Great 
International  Hotel  and  immediately  became  a  centre 
of  importance.  A  woman  in  a  brown  calico  dress  and 
lace  bonnet  drove  her  spring  waggon  in  front  of  the 
Grand  Central  Dry  Goods  Emporium  and  leaned  for- 
ward to  call:  "Oh,  Billy!  Oh,  Billy  Canter!  Oh, 
Billy !  "  at  which  the  proprietor  of  the  Emporium  woke 
from  his  nap  on  the  counter  and  came  to  the  door  comb- 
ing his  hair  with  his  fingers.  Both  he  and  his  customer 
gave  their  whole  attention  to  Northmore  as  long  as  he 
was  in  sight.  At  the  door  of  Moneypenny's  hardware 
store  a  stout  man  with  rolled-up  sleeves  and  blackened 
hands  stood  chatting  with  a  departing  customer.  He 
stepped  out  to  meet  the  two. 

"  How-d'ye-do,  Daddy  ?  I  reckon  this  is  Mr.  North- 
more;  how-d'ye-do,  sir?  I'm  mighty  glad  to  see  you; 
I  am  indeed.  I  tell  you  now,  Daddy,  that  Mr.  North- 
more  is  the  very  man  to  put  us  on  our  feet;  I  see  that 
right  off.  There's  nothing  slow  about  Mogadonia,  Mr. 
Northmore,  but  the  trains,  and  we  need  an  up-to-date 
minister.  It's  plain  we've  got  him,  too.  I'm  sorry  I 
didn't  get  to  take  you  to  my  house,  but  my  wife's  mother 
has  been  sick  for  the  last  three  weeks,  and  before  I  knew 
how  she  was  coming  out,  Daddy,  here,  got  ahead  of  me. 
Moneypenny's  my  name;  I'm  one  of  the  longest  mem- 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  39 

bers  of  your  church;  joined  when  I  wasn't  ten  years 
old." 

"  I'm  glad  you  did,"  responded  Northmore  heartily 
to  the  cordial  tone.  "  I  hope  there  are  plenty  of  your 
kind  in  it." 

The  hardware  merchant  was  going  to  talk  longer, 
but  a  little  girl  came  for  a  box  of  carpet  tacks  and  he 
went  back  to  get  them.  The  squire — to  whom  nobody 
ever  gave  his  dear  title — moved  reluctantly  on. 

"  I  give  Jim  Moneypenny  a  chance  to  tell  you  the 
hull  story,  but  I  see  he  ain't  no  idee  of  doin'  it,  an'  I  'low 
it  falls  to  me,"  he  grumbled,  and  took  up  his  halting, 
evasive  narrative  again.  The  present  situation  was  a 
culmination  of  all  the  old  troubles,  which  appeared  to 
have  centred  in  one  member.  He  was  the  one  who  had 
held  the  mortgage,  and  opposed  the  organ,  and  he  now 
offered  to  sell  his  house  adjoining  the  church  for  a  par- 
sonage. The  place  was  so  unsuitable  and  the  price  so 
high  that  the  stewards  had  bought  another  house,  better 
in  every  particular,  for  little  more  than  half  the  sum 
asked  for  this  one.  And — it  had  made  some  feeling — 
some! 

They  had  gone  the  longest  way  round  to  approach 
the  church  on  its  east  side;  the  minister  saw  that  at 
a  glance.  A  wooden  building  adjoining  crowded  it 
so  closely  as  to  cut  off  its  light.  On  the  other  side 
stood  an  old  red  house,  at  the  edge  of  whose  little 
yard,  completely  covering  and  darkening  the  remaining 
windows,  ran  a  plank  fence  nineteen  feet  high,  em- 
blazoned with  circus  posters.  Neither  pastor  nor  par- 


40  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

ishioner  spoke  for  a  moment.  Then  Northmore  asked, 
"  Do  I  understand  that  a  member  of  my  congregation 
did  this?" 

"  That's  right,"  admitted  his  guide. 

"  I  think  that  I  must  know  his  name." 

"  It's — wall,  it's  'Lijah  Sims.  He  wanted  to  hold 
up  the  congregation  for  his  old  house — and  they 
wouldn't  stand  it.  It's  a  bad  muddle." 


CHAPTER  III 

THE  last  stroke  of  the  tolling  bell  still  quivered  on  the 
air  as  Northmore's  resolute  step  took  him  out  of  the 
sunny  September  morning  into  the  gas-lit  gloom  of  his 
church  for  his  first  service.  As  he  strode  down  the  worn 
trail  of  ingrain  carpet  and  saw,  without  looking,  the 
leak  stains  on  the  walls,  the  boarded-up  windows,  and, 
facing  about,  the  sprinkling  of  elderly  people  in  the 
pews,  he  knew  that  he  had  come  to  a  run-down  church  in 
the  last  gasp  of  inanition.  He  had  longed  for  this 
day  of  beginning  with  the  confidence  of  thorough  prep- 
aration ;  he  had  done  many  first  sermons  in  anticipa- 
tion ;  but  since  coming  here  he  had  discarded  them  all 
and  worked  out  a  new  one  which  he  thought  would  ap- 
peal to  these  dwellers  among  hills. 

When  he  rose  to  read  the  hymn  he  saw  kindly  greet- 
ing in  nearly  all  faces.  The  most  striking  one  was  the 
fresh  pink  countenance  of  a  young-old  man  who  sat 
with  his  wife  and  daughter  in  the  side  aisle.  The  man's 
head  was  crowned  with  a  shining  aureole  of  straight 
white  hair.  His  blue  eyes  sent  a  smile  of  welcome  to  the 
minister's  heart.  His  wife  was  a  small,  austere  woman 
in  rustling  silk,  and  the  daughter  was  a  timid  girl  of 
delicate  tints  and  wistful  eyes  as  blue  as  her  father's. 
Immediately  behind  them  sat  the  pleasant  young  man 
who  had  arrived  on  the  train  with  Northmore,  and 

41 


43  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

whom  he  had  since  found  in  the  new  drug  store,  which 
was  the  one  well-kept,  attractive  shop  in  the  place.  His 
name  was  Harrington,  and  he,  too,  was  a  newcomer  in 
whom  Northmore  found  a  bond  of  sympathy.  On  the 
front  seat  was  a  red-haired  woman  in  dyed  black,  whose 
freckled  face  beamed  such  loyalty  and  devotion  from 
the  first  that  Northmore  knew  he  had  one  fast  friend. 
Well  to  the  front  was  the  pew  of  the  squire  and  Miss 
Maria,  their  visible  pride  of  early  proprietorship  in  the 
pastor  subdued  by  Sabbath  gravity,  while  just  behind 
them  Mr.  Moneypenny  contributed  to  the  occasion  a 
row  of  sons  of  assorted  sizes. 

Northmore's  strong  tenor  led  the  quavering  notes  of 
his  congregation  through  the  devotional  exercises ; 
then,  in  an  expectant  hush,  he  read  from  Exodus  iv,  21, 
the  text:  "  What  is  that  in  thine  hand?  "  And  again, 
"  What  is  that  in  thine  hand?  " 

The  echo  of  his  voice  in  unanswering  silence  chilled 
the  enthusiasm  with  which  he  had  wrought  out  his  theme, 
and  it  was  not  until  he  could  forget  himself  in  his  word 
picture  of  the  oriental  scene  that  something  of  boyish 
fire  impassioned  the  drawing  of  Jebel-Mesa,  rock-ribbed 
with  crimson  and  purple  diorites,  its  majestic  crown 
cut  in  relief  against  the  sapphire  of  Egyptian  sky, 
guarding  forever  from  desert  blight  the  rich  valleys, 
Wady-Feiran  and  Wady-esh-Sheikh.  In  the  tremendous 
silence  of  the  sacred  mountain  he  found  Moses  pleading 
with  God  for  the  deliverance  of  his  people  from  intoler- 
able bondage.  The  quiet  of  the  room  grew  intense  as 
the  story  of  the  little  rod  by  which  that  greatest  de- 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  48 

liverance  was  wrought  was  simply  told — the  rod  whose 
power  was  faith  and  harmonious  action.  The  Old  Tes- 
tament theme  was  the  prelude  of  a  direct  appeal  from 
pastor  to  people  for  co-operation  and  unity,  yet  the 
words  seemed  a  mockery  on  his  lips,  addressed  to  those 
few  feeble  members  who  proved  their  unity  by  coming 
to  hear  him.  He  saw  that  mere  words  would  never 
infuse  new  blood  into  this  anemic  body,  yet  his  message 
grew  so  intimate  that  he  appeared  to  be  talking  pri- 
vately to  each  member,  man  to  man.  The  dedication  of 
his  life  rose  big  before  him ;  here  was  a  field  for  his  best 
effort,  barren  enough  for  new  sowing,  but  when  he 
closed  his  sermon  and  the  faint  rustle  of  relieved  tension 
had  faded  into  unresponsive  silence,  a  sullen  weight  of 
dread  clamped  upon  his  heart,  his  first  vivid  realisation 
of  the  smallness  of  one  man's  supreme  effort  against  the 
vast  aggregate  of  human  need.  He  went  shyly  down 
from  the  pulpit  when  the  meeting  was  over,  with  the 
longing  of  aroused  sympathy  softening  his  rugged  face, 
but  his-  towering  form,  well-made  clothes,  and  scholarly 
bearing  awed  his  people  and,  after  lingering  in  expecta- 
tion for  a  moment,  they  went  out,  talking  in  low  tones 
among  themselves.  Only  Mr.  Moneypenny  came  for- 
ward to  speak  to  him. 

"  That  was  a  mighty  fine  sermon,  Mr.  Northmore, 
though  it  did  lean  pretty  strong  to  Works,"  he  said 
heartily ;  "  but  I  guess  Works  are  all  right  if  there's 
enough  faith  mixed  in  to  save  a  man.  I'm  no  stickler 
for  doctrine,  and  I  guess  that's  good  enough  doctrine 
for  anybody." 


44  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

As  Northmore  retarded  his  steps  to  Miss  Maria's, 
sauntering  through  the  black  streets  in  the  noon  heat, 
it  flashed  upon  him  that  in  just  such  measure  he  must 
curb  his  energies  to  the  halting  gait  of  these  people, 
and  the  thought  was  intolerable.  His  vigorous  nature 
loved  action;  his  superfluous  energy  must  always  work 
itself  out  through  his  muscles ;  he  required  space  and 
air;  even  now  he  felt  a  maddening  impulse  to  break 
away  for  a  wild  tramp  over  the  barrier  of  hills  to  the 
free  great  world  which  they  shut  out.  Could  he  ever 
put  down  intellectual  brakes  that  would  hold  him  to  the 
pace  of  Mogadonia?  He  did  not  delude  himself  with 
the  fancy  that  he  could  quicken  Mogadonians  to  his 
record.  As  soon  make  the  squire  a  supple  youth  again ! 

This  Mogadonia,  then,  this  stupidly  wicked  town,  was 
the  realisation  of  his  ideals,  the  goal  of  his  long  train- 
ing ;  it  was  his  "  vineyard,"  his  "  battle  ground,"  and 
all  the  other  allegorical  symbols  of  his  Seminary  dreams. 
Could  he  be  so  poorly  equipped  for  any  other  possible 
situation  as  this  one?  He  thought  not.  The  grim 
humour  of  the  thing  curved  his  lips  in  a  desperate  smile 
as  he  cramped  his  steps  beside  Miss  Maria. 

Her  excellent  dinner  was  disposed  of  in  reverent 
silence,  and  then  the  squire  went  into  the  porch  with 
"  the  Book  "  for  his  Sabbath  meditation.  Northmore 
went  up  to  his  room,  but  felt  suffocated  by  its  heat. 
From  the  window  he  could  see  alluring  slopes  of  wood- 
land, and  he  accepted  their  invitation,  leaving  the  road 
at  the  foot  of  the  spur  and  striking  a  path  which  fol- 
lowed a  little  stream  into  the  heart  of  the  hill  it  had 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  45 

cleft.  Its  deep  gorge  led  him  between  walls  of  jagged 
rock  that  ended  at  a  noisy  cascade,  a  sheer  veil  of  fall- 
ing water  over  green-grey  rock,  whose  pleasant  mono- 
tone drowned  the  whirr  of  cicadas  with  which  the  woods 
rang,  and  made  a  sympathetic  accompaniment  to  his 
thought.  He  found  a  seat  upon  a  cushion  of  moss  be- 
yond the  spray,  from  which  he  could  see  but  a  ribbon 
of  blue  sky  between  the  fern-fringed  walls  above.  He 
was  keenly  susceptible  to  the  moods  of  Nature,  and  in 
the  solitude  of  the  place  he  seemed  suddenly  to  get  him- 
self into  perspective  against  his  new  background. 

Under  the  disappointment  of  a  realised  expectation — 
what  realisation  is  not  disappointing? — a  dread  fear 
had  been  eating  its  way  into  his  soul,  the  fear  that  he 
had  made  a  tremendous  mistake.  He  harked  back  in 
swift  retrospect  to  the  motive-forces  which  had  led  him 
into  his  calling,  to  assure  himself  that  he  really  had  been 
"  called  "  to  carry  the  tidings  of  salvation — and  of 
damnation — to  these  people.  Was  he  fit  for  that  solemn 
office?  Was  he  worthy  to  stand  between  them  and 
God?  He  probed  his  heart  with  questions  which  he 
feared  to  answer.  How  did  he  know  that  he  was  an- 
nointed  of  God?  What  proof  of  it  had  he  ever  had? 
He  reviewed  his  years  to  find  it;  his  Godless  home,  his 
barren  childhood.  He  shrank  dutifully  from  the  re- 
membrance of  his  parents;  the  cold  materialism  of  his 
mother,  the  sordid,  pessimistic  morality  of  his  father, 
from  whom  he  had  inherited  the  very  exactness  with 
which  he  was  now  trying  himself.  As  an  only  son  he 
had  been  destined  to  carry  on  the  business  which  was  his 


46  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

father's  life  passion,  and  which  he,  obversely,  loathed, 
but  the  very  individuality  roused  by  this  arbitrary  de- 
cree had  defied  the  older  will,  sabre  to  sabre,  and  had 
won.  That  is,  Northmore  had  left  home,  penniless,  an 
outcast,  with  the  sovereignty  of  his  own  future.  His 
father  had  denied  him  a  classical  education,  which  he 
held  to  be  a  detriment  to  a  business  man,  and  the  youth 
set  out  to  wrest  it  from  fate  on  his  own  account,  suc- 
ceeding through  sheer  personal  momentum  where  a 
weaker  man  would  have  fallen.  After  this,  there  was  a 
time  when  his  father  would  have  forgiven  the  classics 
and  put  him  at  the  head  of  the  factory,  but  he  had 
transgressed  yet  more  deeply;  he  had  chosen  a  profes- 
sion, and,  of  all  professions,  he  had  chosen  the  one 
which  his  father  held  to  be  the  quintessence  of  idle  ef- 
feminacy, the  ministry,  and  they  parted  forever.  That 
meeting  and  its  result  were  characteristic  of  both  father 
and  son.  The  father  made  all  sentiment,  all  impulse, 
subservient  to  his  Juggernaut,  Business ;  the  son  could 
destroy  all  material  considerations  for  his  convictions, 
had  done  it,  in  fact.  He  maintained  a  clandestine  cor- 
'respondence  with  his  favourite  sister  until  her  death, 
which  early  followed  her  marriage,  after  which  his  home 
ties  were  wholly  severed.  He  went  through  these  mem- 
ories slowly,  dwelling  sorrowfully  upon  the  loss  of  the 
little  sister  he  had  loved  and  whose  life  he  had  felt  to 
be  a  sacrifice.  He  hoped  to  take  her  away  himself  and 
make  a  congenial  home  for  her,  but  he  was  too  late. 
These  merged  into  pleasanter  recollections,  the  eager 
beginning  of  his  life  purpose.  The  quivering  tentacles 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  47 

of  ambition  had  gripped  his  work  with  characteristic 
energy  and  held  it  through  the  tense  strain  of  Seminary- 
years.  It  was  not  in  his  nature  to  keep  ideals  with  a 
uniform  grasp ;  he  doubted  them  and  worshipped  them ; 
he  recalled  periods  of  battle  with  his  baser  self,  days 
and  nights  of  passionate  conflict,  but,  thus  far,  the  ideal 
had  always  conquered.  There  were  men  in  his  classes 
who  had  been  born  good,  who  never  knew  the  triumph  of 
a  vanquished  self.  Days  of  spiritual  exaltation  had 
followed  these  victories  when  a  martyr's  crown  would 
hardly  have  satisfied  his  sacrificial  zeal;  times  of  burn- 
ing enthusiasm  and  wild  impatience  for  the  holy  fulfil- 
ment of  his  consecration  in  active  labour;  last  of  all 
had  come  a  Pentacostal  day  when  he  was  an  empty 
lamp,  waiting  for  Divine  flame.  And  fulfilment  had 
come!  Did  the  rounded  periods  of  his  morning  sermon 
carry  conviction  to  his  congregation?  Would  the 
word  picture  of  the  diorites  of  Jebel-Mesa  uplift  those 
dull,  impassive  people?  There  was  sin  enough  in  Moga- 
donia,  rank  physical  wickedness  that  cried  out  to  him 
for  redemption,  but  he  was  at  a  loss  how  to  apply  his 
spiritual  weapons  to  it ;  no  power  of  theological  oratory 
would  stir  those  reeking  depths — and  what  else  had  he 
to  offer?  It  was  not  picturesque  wickedness,  either; 
it  was  evasively  commonplace.  The  delimitation  of  in- 
experience inspired  his  soul.  He  would  never  be  satis- 
fied to  minister  to  his  congregation  only ;  he  was  an 
apostle  to  the  region  round  about — if  he  could  find  a 
point  of  contact. 

The  wicked  would  never  come  to  hear  him,  only  the 


48  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

good ;  the  good  and  the  old  who  were  preparing  them- 
selves for  death ;  the  wicked  and  the  young  who  needed 
far  more  preparation  for  the  solemn  task  of  living  were 
out  of  his  reach.  He  was  thoroughly  trained  to  preach 
the  gospel  to  those  who  believed  it,  but  he  asked  himself 
how  he  should  compel  conviction  upon  the  heedless.  He 
heard  his  own  voice  echoing  through  the  empty,  rickety 
church  of  the  morning :  "  What  is  that  in  thine  hand  ?  " 
and  he  reiterated  to  himself,  wonderingly,  "  What  is 
that  in  thine  hand?  "  He  lay  back  upon  the  soft  moss, 
hands  locked  above  his  head,  eyes  gazing  deep  into  the 
far  blue  above,  brows  knotted  with  thought,  and  tried 
to  find  an  answer. 

The  growing  darkness  of  the  gorge  roused  him  with 
a  start.  He  had  taken  no  note  of  time,  and  got  to  his 
feet  in  haste,  knowing  that  he  had  wandered  far;  he 
walked  uncertainly  along  the  stream,  dizzy  with  doubt, 
with  a  sense  of  unfitness,  of  helplessness,  where  he  should 
possess  power.  The  level  shaft  of  sunshine  which 
struck  his  eyes  when  he  emerged  into  the  road  warned 
him  that  he  must  take  a  short  cut  back  in  time  to  be 
ready  for  the  evening  service,  and  he  went  through  the 
lower  town,  crossing  the  horseshoe  bend  of  the  creek 
which  enclosed  a  bit  of  land  under  the  trestle  known  as 
Whisky  Island.  Its  countless  saloons  were  in  full 
blast  this  Sabbath  evening,  and  its  cinder-paved  streets 
were  alive  with  barefooted  children  at  play.  Slovenly 
women  in  workday  unneatness  gossiped  across  their 
dooryards  or  scolded  their  little  ones.  From  some  of 
the  blackened  houses  men  with  dinner  buckets  were 


49 

starting  for  the  night  shift  in  the  coal  mines,  while  from 
other  doors  floated  the  smell  of  coffee,  bacon,  and  frying 
onions  as  supper  was  getting  for  those  to  come  from  the 
day  shift.  In  every  feature  it  was  a  sordid  workday 
without  a  to-morrow.  The  minister  was  the  one  clean, 
Sabbath-clad  person  in  all  the  grimy  quarter.  He 
could  not  hurry  through  it ;  he  was  too  much  interested 
in  its  life.  A  turn  brought  him  upon  an  old  tobacco 
shed  crowded  with  children ;  the  magnet  in  their  midst 
was  the  man  of  the  silver  aureole^  who  was  handing  out 
slices  of  cold  watermelon  to  them  and  talking  in  terms 
of  perfect  understanding.  He  appeared  to  know  them 
all  by  name,  and  they  were  eagerly  telling  him  about 
themselves  and  their  play.  A  sudden  hush  fell  upon 
them  as  the  minister  approached,  and  they  resumed  their 
talk  in  loud  whispers,  drawing  still  closer  to  their  friend. 
Northmore  passed  on  with  a  flash  of  enlightenment  as 
the  talk  with  Quiggins,  which  had  hardly  once  left  his 
memory,  reasserted  itself.  He  did  not  believe  in  cheap 
bribes  to  the  poor,  but  he  saw  that  he  must  find  a  point 
of  contact  with  the  outcast,  a  sympathetic  medium 
through  which  he  could  measure  their  standards  and 
know  their  temptations.  He  recognised  that  the  first 
necessity  was  to  find  their  justification.  He  knew 
that  no  human  being  willingly  chooses  the  worst  line  of 
action;  the  choice  comes  through  mistaken  standards, 
justified  by  perverted  reason.  He  must  get  at  this  root 
of  evil  first,  and  if  life  had  a  mission  for  him  it  should 
be  to  alleviate  the  wretchedness  of  this  class  of  people, 
to  carry  to  them  good  tidings  of  the  gospel;  to  lead 


50  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

them  to  salvation.  Must  he  also  tell  them  of  future  suf- 
fering to  fall  upon  their  dimly  lighted  souls  ?  He  won- 
dered if  they  had  ever  heard  of  it.  How  was  it  possible 
for  so  many  still  to  be  in  darkness  after  centuries  of 
Christianity?  Why  had  not  its  principles  thundered 
their  own  verification  to  human  reason  at  the  first  peal? 
He  wondered  at  this  as  it  took  hold  of  him  more  strongly, 
and  resolved  that  he  would  continue  a  side  line  of  study 
which  had  fascinated  him  in  college,  the  history  of 
physical  religion  from  its  furthest  rootlets  in  mythol- 
ogy, through  the  trunk  of  paganism,  to  the  spiritual 
fruitage  of  Christianity.  It  would  give  him  a  new  line 
of  armament,  and  a  securer  footing  in  the  eyes  of  those 
who  could  not  see  spiritual  form. 

The  lights  were  burning  as  he  hurried  through  Main 
Street,  and  he  was  surprised  to  find  it  gay  with  the  ap- 
parent population  of  the  town,  and  still  more  surprised 
to  find  how  many  of  the  promenaders  were  young  peo- 
ple. His  heart  warmed  with  the  thought  that  most  of 
them  were  on  their  way  to  church;  it  was  probably  a 
custom  of  the  town  to  attend  service  in  the  evening  in- 
stead of  the  morning,  and  he  made  some  swift  modifica- 
tions in  his  prepared  sermon  for  the  benefit  of  these 
young  people.  They  were  noisy  and  irreverent,  but  he 
attributed  this  to  the  freedom  of  their  universal  ac- 
quaintance. The  unending  procession  flowed  by  the 
church  door,  round  and  round  the  square,  increasing  in 
numbers  as  the  evening  advanced  and  the  churches  were 
lighted.  The  loud  laughter  and  coarse  jokes  smote 
the  ears  of  the  minister  in  the  pulpit,  but  the  pews  held 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  51 

only  the  old  faces  of  the  morning,  and  not  all  of  them. 
The  minister's  heart  was  sore  as  he  read  the  closing 
hymn.  One  day  of  practice  had  shaken  years  of  theory. 
The  young  man  who  walked  out  of  the  wide  door  that 
night  was  not  quite  the  same  one  who  had  entered  in  the 
morning.  The  formative  stage  of  his  mind  growth,  in 
which  faith  had  unquestioningly  accepted  and  cemented 
beliefs,  was  closed;  this  day  he  entered  the  critical 
period  of  manhood  when  evidence  must  be  tested  by  ex- 
perience. Northmore  the  acolyte  went  to  the  morning 
altar;  Northmore  the  analyst  left  it  at  evening,  and 
closed  the  door  behind  him  upon  his  mental  youth. 


CHAPTER    IV 

NORTHMORE  felt  that  his  first  duty  on  Monday  morning 
was  to  find  the  man  Quiggins,  who  had  been  injured  on 
the  day  of  his  arrival,  and  he  set  out  to  follow  the  di- 
rections given  him  as  to  the  location  of  Quiggins' 
house.  They  led  him  through  the  southern  end  of  the 
valley,  which  was  cut  off  from  the  town  proper  by  a 
long  spur  of  Mount  Moriah.  Crossing  this  by  a  wind- 
ing street,  he  entered  a  suburb  whose  bright  newness  and 
roominess  were  so  conspicuous  that  he  stopped  to  walk 
about  its  small  park  in  enjoyment.  A  large,  many- 
windowed  building  faced  the  park,  from  whose  front 
door  a  man  came  quickly  to  meet  and  speak  to  him.  It 
was  the  man  of  the  silver  aureole,  the  most  striking 
personality  he  had  seen  in  the  town. 

"  Good-morning,  Mr.  Northmore.  Glad  to  see  you 
over  here.  My  name  is  Garnett;  I  suppose  you  are 
getting  your  bearings  a  bit." 

"  Fm  glad  to  know  you,  Mr.  Garnett.  I've  heard 
your  name  several  times  already.  This  is  your — estab- 
lishment, is  it?  " 

"  This  is  my  shop — the  only  pottery  in  town.  Do 
you  care  to  go  through  it  ?  " 

"  Very  much  indeed." 

"  Then  we  will  have  to  do  it  at  once.  I  am  sorry  to 
say  I  am  going  to  Wheeling  this  morning  and  haven't 
much  time — but  you  will  come  again  for  a  more  thor- 

63 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  53 

ough  visit,  won't  you?  I  think  you'll  be  interested 
from  what I  liked  the  way  you  went  to  work  yes- 
terday morning." 

"  Did  you?  I'll  get  a  little  nearer  to  my  people  next 
time."  Northmore  could  not  accept  commendation  for 
poor  work,  especially  from  this  man,  to  whom  the  ser- 
mon had  been  preached.  "  I  fancy  you  saw  the  lack 
in  it.  Mrs.  Garnett  is  a  member  of  my  church,  is  she 
not  ?  I  saw  her  name  on  the  books." 

"  Yes,  she  is  one  of  your  most  devoted  workers.  This 
way  first.  We'll  take  the  stock  room  last." 

Northmore  was  keenly  interested  in  the  system  of  the 
factory,  which  surprised  him  by  its  excellence,  and  in 
the  man  whose  character  it  expressed,  and  his  apprecia- 
tion went  to  the  heart  of  the  owner  as  a  tribute  of  value. 
The  time  was  all  too  short,  and  Mr.  Garnett  followed 
him  to  the  door  with  reluctance. 

"  I  want  you  to  come  again  when  I  can  show  you  the 
inner  side  of  things.  You  can't  get  an  idea  of  what  I 
want  to  do  in  this  glimpse,"  he  regretted. 

Northmore  turned  to  him  with  kindling5  eyes :  "  In- 
deed, I  do.  I  have  seen  much  more  than  you  pointed  out ; 
I  am  familiar  with  factory  life  myself  and  I  can  detect 
an  entirely  new  atmosphere  in  this  one — that  is,  where 
the  workmen  themselves  are  concerned.  Do  you  know 
what  you  have  done  ?  You  have  made  your  men  princi- 
pals; I  don't  know  how  you  have  accomplished  it,  but 
you  have  done  the  hardest  thing ;  you  have  roused  their 
enthusiasm  in  the  work  itself.  You  have  eliminated  the 
drudge  and  accorded  to  Labour  its  nobility." 


54  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

The  pink  face  of  the  owner  glowed  at  this  reading 
of  his  life  motive.  "  No!  Did  you  see  that?  No  one 
ever  did  before,  and  I  hope  it  is  in  part  true.  I  don't 
want  my  men  to  consider  their  work  drudgery ;  I  believe 
they  are  rather  proud  of  it.  And  you  got  it  at  the 
first  glance !  Well ;  you're  going  to  know  me  better !  " 

They  walked  down  the  steps  together. 

"  You  have  built  a  model  village,  also,  and  got  them 
to  live  in  it,"  added  Northmore,  looking  down  a  shaded 
street  of  bright  cottages. 

"  No,  I  don't  call  it  that.  The  men  couldn't  get 
houses  over  in  the  town,  and  I  had  to  build  something ; 
it  was  good  policy  to  build  homes  that  the  men  would 
like  to  own  and  the  women  to  care  for.  It  is  good  busi- 
ness to  do  that.  Human  beings  respond  to  sanitary 
housing  as  much  as  horses  and  cows.  The  men  already 
own  some  of  them — I  have  a  purchase  system  which 
works  well  for  both  of  us.  I  can  only  credit  myself 
with  the  buildings ;  the  effect  on  the  men  is  secondary — 
but,  gracious!  you  should  see  the  regulations.  They 
make  rules  I  shouldn't  dare  to  suggest.  I've  been  ar- 
rested for  walking  on  my  own  grass — here  in  the 
park!" 

"How  you  enjoyed  that!" 

"Well,  rather!" 

*'  I  can  understand  how  much,"  suggested  the  minis- 
ter. "  It  was  the  reward  of  years — an  interest  of  that 
strength;  it  is  not  the  love  of  landscape  gardening;  it 
is  the  reflex  development  of  manhood,  of  civic  responsi- 
bility in  the  working  man;  it  is  his  conscientious 
sovereignty." 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  55 

"  That's  it !  You've  got  it  exactly.  You've  put  it 
into  words.  No  one  else  ever  understood  that  this  bit 
of  grass  and  fresh  paint  stands  for  a  new  dignity  in 
them;  it's  a  big  moral  force — because  it  is  their  own 
work,  don't  you  see?  I  couldn't  possibly  do  it  for 
them." 

"  You  have  done  it  for  them  in  giving  them  the  op- 
portunity and  incentive  to  do  it  for  themselves." 

"  That  is  all  that  you  can  ever  really  do  for  any  man 
— give  him  a  chance  to  do  things  himself.  There  has 
been  a  fallacy  in  much  of  the  world's  philanthropy — 
doing  things  for  people  who  might  have  done  it  them- 
selves with  a  right  start." 

"  That  is  certainly  true,  industrially,  at  least.  Yes, 
the  greatest  thing  you  can  do  for  a  man  is  to  make 
him  work  out  his  own  salvation,  physically,"  and  North- 
more's  face  lighted  with  this  confirmation  of  a  pet  be- 
lief. 

"  He  has  got  to  do  it  in  other  ways,  as  well,"  ven- 
tured Mr.  Garnett  significantly,  as  he  took  out  his 
watch.  Northmore  saw  that  the  time  was  up,  and 
turned  to  go,  but  Mr.  Garnett  called  him  back :  "  Where 
are  you  going  to  stay,  Mr.  Northmore?  You  have  no 
family,  I've  heard." 

"  No,  I  must  find  a  lodging.  I  came  so  late  in  the 
week  that  I  shall  have  to  look  for  one  to-day." 

"  I  don't  know  where  you'll  find  a  suitable  place.  I 
heard  my  wife  going  over  the  question.  Come  up  to 
my  house  till  you  do;  we  have  a  lot  of  room  and  will 
be  delighted  to  have  you.  Your  reception  is  to  be  there 
this  week;  you  know  that,  don't  you?  " 


56  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

Northmore  hesitated  but  a  moment.  The  invitation 
was  sincere  and  he  realised  that  it  was  a  fortunate  solu- 
tion of  the  problem  for  the  present.  The  details  were 
arranged  at  once  and  that  evening  found  him  estab- 
lished with  luggage  for  present  needs  at  a  square,  red 
brick  house,  topped  by  an  observatory  in  ante-bellum 
style,  which  stood  at  the  head  of  Walnut  Street  and 
at  the  foot  of  a  terraced  hillside.  The  interior  was 
furnished  in  the  depressing  fashion  of  twenty  years  be- 
fore, known  as  "  Eastlake,"  yet  the  large,  square  rooms 
and  wide  hall  had  an  atmosphere  of  home-likeness 
which  overcame  the  dungeon  pattern  of  the  black  and 
olive  paper  and  the  rectangles  of  the  same  colours  in 
the  Brussels  carpets. 

Mrs.  Garnett  was  as  small  and  austere  in  her  home 
as  she  had  appeared  in  her  pew  at  church.  She  had 
large  light  eyes,  set  prominently,  like  an  afterthought, 
in  a  colourless,  triangular  face ;  her  voice  was  as  toneless 
and  sibilant  as  the  frou-frou  of  her  stiff  black  silk. 
The  critical  quality  of  her  manner  contrasted  sharply 
with  the  genial  sympathy  of  her  husband's  voice  and 
grasp.  Northmore  could  not  quite  make  her  out,  and 
reserved  his  impressions  for  better  acquaintance.  Not 
of  the  daughter,  however,  the  sweet,  shy,  porcelain- 
tinted  girl  whose  eyes  had  asked  help  of  him  in  the  first 
glance  in  the  church. 

He  had  begun  to  feel  quite  at  home  by  Thursday 
evening,  the  time  appointed  for  the  pastor's  reception, 
when  he  was  to  know,  hand  to  hand,  the  people  whose 
spiritual  leader  he  had  come  to  be.  They  came  early  in 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  57 

the  evening,  were  received  by  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Garnett  and 
the  minister  as  they  filed  in,  asked  the  latter  how  he 
liked  Mogadonia,  seated  themselves  in  a  shy  row  around 
the  wall,  and  relapsed  into  silence  or  murmured  con- 
versation. The  funereal  solemnity  seemed  to  increase 
with  numbers  until  it  was  broken  by  a  burst  of  rich 
throaty  laughter  in  the  hall  which  thrilled  everybody  to 
responsiveness,  while  several  said  together,  "  There's 
Susan!" 

Northmore  turned  to  meet  the  newcomer,  the  shabby, 
freckled  woman  whose  face  had  guaranteed  her  loyalty 
on  Sunday.  She  met  him  heartily :  "  How-d'ye-do, 
Mr.  Northmore?  If  you're  goin'  to  take  to  us  the  way 
we've  took  to  you,  there'll  be  doin's  in  our  church  this 
year,"  and  her  cheery  presence  warmed  the  assemblage 
to  life  as  she  passed  on  around  the  room :  "  How-d'ye- 
do,  Daddy  Pocock — an'  M'ria?  Did  them  pickles  come 
out  right  fur  you,  M'ria?  Mine  wouldn't  harden.  I 
knew  there  ought  to  be  a  lump  of  alum  in  the  recipe. 
How  are  you,  Auntie  Bosley?  How  do  you  get  on, 
Gran'pap  Boggs?  Glad  to  see  you  out  to  meetin'  Sun- 
day. Hello,  Uncle  Peter  an'  Azariah;  pretty  far  walk 
fur  you,  wasn't  it?  " 

"  Is  that  Susan  Jernigan  ?  "  quavered  a  deaf  old  lady 
with  dim  eyes  on  the  buxom  figure.  "  Susan,  do  tell  me 
how  Priscilla  Munson  is  to-day ;  I  ain't  heerd  sence 
a-Saturday  noon.  Mary  Lib  Pilsinger,  she  stopped  in 
a-Saturday  noon  as  she  was  a-goin'  over  to  help  her 
mother-in-law  stir  off  apple  butter,  an'  she  said  Priscilla 
was  terrible  low.  She  said  they'd  telegraphed  fur  Him." 


58  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

"  Yes,"  rang  the  rich  voice,  "  Prissy  is  right  sick ;  I 
set  up  with  her  last  night  so's  to  give  Tilly  Hopper  a 
little  rest,  an'  she  surely  was  some  better  this  mornin'. 
I  fixed  her  some  breakfast  and  she  eat  a  little  bit.  He 
come  a-yesterday;  you  know  he's  workin'  down  to 
Bellevue  on  the  big  church,  an'  he  didn't  want  to  lose 
his  job.  Why,  here  comes  Jim  Moneypenny  an'  Mary 
Fanny.  Now,  Jim,  don't  go  to  work  an'  ask  the  new 
preacher  how  he  likes  us,  for  he  hasn't  had  time  to  find 
out.  Here's  Billy  Canter,  sure's  I  live!  Now,  Billy, 
the  new  minister  ain't  married  either,  an'  if  you  want 
first  choice  of  the  fourteen  old  maids  and  the  twenty- 
three  widow  women  in  our  church,  you'll  have  to  spunk 
up  an'  hustle  to  get  ahead  of  Mr.  Northmore." 

"  Have  they  give  her  up  yet,  Susan  ? "  inquired 
another  old  lady  who  had  been  waiting  for  a  chance. 

"  No,  sir,  I  haven't  give  up  hopes,  whoever  has," 
stoutly  responded  the  inspiring  voice.  "  I  told  her  so 
when  I  come  away  this  mornin' ;  says  I,  '  Don't  you  let 
'em  go  to  work  an'  make  a  mistake,  layin'  you  out  for 
dead,  Prissy,'  says  I,  '  for  you're  wuth  a  stack  of  dead 
women  yet,  an'  if  folks  just  must  have  a  funeral,  you  let 
'em  up  an'  hunt  another  corpse.  Don't  you  turn  in  and 
die  just  to  'commodate  'em.  Don't  you  do  no  sech 
thing.'  An'  she  laughed.  Oh,  she's  better." 

"  Well,  I  do'  know  'bout  that's  bein'  quite  right, 
Susan,"  rebuked  the  first  old  lady.  "  She'd  ought  to 
sense  her  condeetion  'nough  to  make  her  peace  with  God. 
It  would  be  a  tumble  thing  if  God  took  her  unawares." 

"  She  never  had  no  quarrel  with  God,"  retorted  Susan 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  59 

with  asperity.  "  I  reckon  that  pore  thing  has  bore  her 
earthly  troubles  in  a  way  to  fitten  her  fur  the  Kingdom." 

"  Yes,  Prissy's  hed  a  hard  place,  an'  she's  done  her 
duty  well,  but  that  don't  count  fur  preparation.  You 
know  salvation  ain't  in  Works,  whatever  they  be,  Susan." 

"  Likely  He'll  marry  agin ;  his  mother's  too  ole  to 
keep  house  fur  all  them  children,"  ruminated  Maria 
Pocock. 

"  His  sister  Lib  might  keep  house  fur  him,  the  one 
that  teaches  school,"  ventured  Mrs.  Moneypenny,  a 
meek  little  woman  with  very  black  eyes,  a  wide  smile,  and 
no  front  teeth. 

"  She  might — but  she  wouldn't.  And  if  she  did — oh, 
my !  And  Prissy  as  neat  as  a  pin ! "  insinuated  a  fat 
woman  with  a  mighty  voice. 

"  Well,  I  tell  you-all  that  Prissy  won't  be  buried  till 
s,he's  dead ;  she'll  walk  over  some  of  our  graves  yet.  La, 
do  look  at  that !  The  gall  of  'Lije  Sims  to  come  to  the 
minister's  reception ! " 

All  eyes  followed  Susan's  to  the  front  door,  which  a 
lean,  bowbacked  old  man  was  obsequiously  entering.  A 
long  frock  coat  was  tightly  buttoned  around  his  tall 
form,  and  he  carried  a  walking  stick.  Mr.  Garnett  in- 
troduced him  to  Northmore,  and  the  minister  scanned 
him  closely.  Before  he  could  speak  more  than  the  man's 
name,  Mrs.  Jernigan's  tones  crossed  to  him :  "  I  reckon 
Mr.  Northmore  feels  set  up  over  the  decorations  on  the 
outside  of  the  church,  Mr.  Sims.  It's  the  only  one 
round  that  has  a  nice  double  wall  to  keep  out  the  light, 
and  a  lot  of  nice  pretty  circus  pictures  on  the  outside." 


60  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

The  old  man's  impassive  face  did  not  change ;  he  gave 
the  minister  a  cold,  soft  hand,  murmuring  in  an  injured 
tone,  "  I  hope  you're  a  man  that  likes  to  see  fair  play." 

"  I  trust  so." 

"  He  wants  to  stand  in  with  the  preacher  and  hold  us 
up  for  his  old  house  yet,"  whispered  Billy  Canter. 
"  Great  joke  on  him  that  Mr.  Northmore  ain't  married." 

"  Well,  if  looks  is  anything,  that  new  minister  has  a 
backbone  of  his  own,  that  he  ain't  afraid  to  straighten," 
remarked  Mr.  Moneypenny,  approvingly.  The  sound 
of  the  piano  now  gave  an  impetus  to  the  scattered  con- 
versation, for  as  Silence  Garnett  touched  the  keys 
people  who  had  sat  dumb  suddenly  grew  loquacious  and 
drowned  the  strains  of  the  beautiful  Chopin  nocturne 
with  high-pitched  talk.  Northmore  went  to  the  piano 
to  listen  and  to  turn  the  pages.  He  loved  music,  though 
utterly  ignorant  of  its  technique,  and  when  he  led  the 
girl  to  a  seat  after  her  unnoticed  playing,  he  found  that 
they  were  already  friends  through  the  wordless  sym- 
pathy of  melody.  They  were  rapidly  making  each 
other's  acquaintance  when  Silence  stopped  in  the  middle 
of  a  sentence,  while  her  delicate  face  flushed  to  her 
hair.  Northmore,  his  back  to  the  door,  wondered  what 
manner  of  arrival  could  have  so  embarrassed  her,  and 
the  next  moment  was  shaking  hands  with  the  late- 
comer, Mr.  Firestone,  a  slender  man  with  piercing  eyes 
set  close  together  in  his  eagle  face. 

"  I'm  delighted  to  know  you,  Mr.  Northmore,  from 
what  I  have  heard  of  you.  I've  been  greatly  interested 
in  the  state  of  your  church,  and  hope  that  you're  the 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  61 

man  to  redeem  it — as  far  as  human  effort  can.  How 
do  you  do,  Silence?  " 

The  girl  laid  a  reluctant  hand  in  his,  and  shrank  away 
while  Billy  Canter  interposed  his  cherubic  face,  tip- 
tilted  nose,  and  big  round  glasses,  as  nearly  in  the  spot 
occupied  by  Firestone's  as  the  laws  of  physics  permit 
two  bodies  to  occupy  the  same  space. 

"  Let's  widen  out  this  circle,"  he  suggested.  "  When 
two  men  like  the  preacher  and  Mr.  Firestone  get  to  talk- 
ing, I  want  to  soak  in  all  the  information.  And  I've 
been  in " 

"  Yes,  we  know,"  cut  off  Firestone  sharply,  "  but 
being  a  coffee  clerk  a  few  weeks  isn't  an  investigation 
of  the  whole  subject  of  missions.  And  you  may  have 
heard,  Mr.  Northmore,  that  that  is  the  field  in  which  I 
am  trying  to  serve  the  Lord." 

"  I  have  heard  your  name  many  times  since  I  came, 
but  I  really  know  nothing  definite  about  you.  Every- 
one appeared  to  think  that  I  did." 

"  Shall  I  take  this  plate  for  you,  Mr.  Northmore?" 
asked  Billy  Canter.  "  You'd  better  sit  down,  both  of 
you.  I've  been  in  Africa,  and  I  can  tell  you  that  you 
don't  get  anything  like  Mrs.  Garnett's  coffee  there — 
nor  the  cream  in  it,  either.  Oh,  must  you  go  and  help, 
Miss  Garnett?  Well,  you'll  come  back  when  you're 
through,  won't  you?  " 

Firestone  gave  an  annoyed  look  at  the  little  man, 
and  talked  directly  over  him  to  Northmore :  "  I  am 
stationed  in  Abyssinia — a  most  fascinating  field — and 
one  in  which  strong  men  are  needed.  I  sometimes 


62  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

wonder  how  ministers,  who  are  really  called  of  God,  can 
reconcile  themselves  to  staying  at  home  and  living  in 
luxury  and  ease — when  almost  the  whole  world  is  calling 
in  benighted  ignorance  for  Christianity." 

"  That's  a  personal  decision  for  each  of  us,  Mr.  Fire- 
stone," and  Northmore  waved  away  a  plate  of  cake 
offered  to  him. 

Billy  Canter  interjected  a  protest.  "Just  try  that 
dark  kind,  Mr.  Northmore.  You'll  miss  it  if  you  don't ; 
it's  Mrs.  Garnett's  specialty,  you  know." 

The  minister  obeyed  mechanically,  for  Firestone  was 
speaking  to  him  with  the  zeal  of  an  enthusiast: 
"  There's  an  impression  abroad  that  any  sort  of  man 
will  do  for  the  heathen,  but  I  tell  you,  if  the  heathen 
are  ever  to  be  helped  it  will  be  by  the  brains  and  the 
self-sacrifice  of  the  strongest  men  we  have.  And  in 
Africa,  too.  It's  an  awful  question,  how  much  the 
superior  race  owes  to  its  dark  brother." 

Firestone's  ice  cream  was  melting  on  his  plate ;  he  had 
unconsciously  taken  every  kind  of  cake  that  was  passed, 
without  wanting  any  of  it,  his  dark  hand  trembling  as 
he  tried  to  pile  up  the  slices,  and  his  eyes  burning. 
Northmore  found  himself  mentally  withdrawing  from 
this  uncomfortable  fervour,  and  noticing  that  the  lamp 
behind  made  Billy  Canter's  large  ears  look  like  pink 
wings  beside  his  cherubic  face.  Presently  Silence  re- 
turned, and  in  a  flash  he  saw  the  two  so  strangely  differ- 
ent faces  of  his  companions  change  at  her  presence — 
and  he  understood.  Firestone  drew  a  chair  to  his  side 
and  asked  her  to  take  it.  She  did  so  as  one  bereft  of 


ALTARS   TO    MAMMON  63 

volition.  Then  the  missionary  went  on,  including  her 
in  his  audience :  "  Yes,  Mr.  Northmore,  the  salvation 
of  Africa  is  one  of  the  awful  questions.  In  India  and 
China  there  is  a  degree  of  civilisation  which  prepares 
the  people  for  the  reception  of  the  gospel.  The 
Buddhist  faith  has  many  points  of  similarity  to  ours — 
but  the  African  is  hopelessly  lost — and  he  doesn't  know 
it.  Think  of  that,  a  fetich  worshipper  who  doesn't 
know  that  he  is  lost  until  the  missionary  tells  him  so. 
Think  what  a  task  to  carry  salvation  to  people  who  have 
no  idea  that  they  need  it.  They  are  marvellously  tena- 
cious of  their  superstitions.  Before  you  can  introduce 
a  new  faith,  you  must " 

"  Empty  them  out  of  the  old,"  suggested  Billy 
Canter. 

Firestone  glowered  upon  him  scornfully,  and  went  on, 
"  You  may  imagine  what  such  a  task  means." 

"  Is  it  required  of  us  to  begin  so  far  back  as  that  ?  " 
mused  Northmore.  "I  should  think  that  a  waste  of 
the  highest  energy — something  that  might  be  done  by 
the  day  labourers  of  civilisation  rather  than  its  brains 
— which  are  all  needed  in " 

"  Don't  say  that ! "  burst  out  Firestone.  "  I've 
heard  that  till  the  place  is  sore.  Our  workers  are  not 
worse  needed  at  home.  The  people  who  say  that  simply 
show  their  ignorance.  The  most  degraded  criminal 
here  knows  more  than  a  savage ;  there's  need  of  strong 
men  and — devoted — women." 

The  last  low  word  sent  a  pallor  over  Silence's  face 
that  made  Northmore  rise  and  ask  her  to  play  again, 


64  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

but  Mrs.  Jernigan  called  Firestone  to  tell  her  group  the 
story  of  the  first  marriage  ceremony  he  had  performed, 
and  Silence  begged  off  from  the  music.  So  they  talked 
a  few  minutes,  in  which  he  formed  an  estimate  of 
her  character.  She  was  easy  to  read,  a  purely  feminine 
type,  sweet,  pliant,  conscientious, — even  morbidly  so, — 
with  a  trace  of  melancholy  in  her  eyes  that  betokened 
a  capacity  for  exquisite  suffering.  She  had  not  in- 
herited either  her  father's  poise  or  her  mother's  rigidity 
of  purpose,  though  it  was  possible  that  her  rightful 
strength  of  character  had  been  atrophied  by  over- 
training, for  her  independence  of  action  was  apparently 
quite  destroyed.  They  had  found  a  common  interest 
and  were  talking  animatedly,  when  a  general  homeward 
movement  called  Northmore  away,  and  as  he  offered  to 
walk  home  with  two  old  ladies,  he  did  not  see  her  again. 

As  he  returned  from  this  office  he  met  Mr.  Firestone 
at  the  corner  by  the  barricaded  church,  apparently 
waiting  for  him.  Both  men  glanced  painfully  at  the 
bareback  performers,  in  the  light  of  the  street  lamp. 
"  What  are  you  going  to  do  with  this  proposition,  Mr. 
Northmore?  "  asked  the  missionary. 

"  I  have  no  idea." 

"  There's  only  one  thing  that  hasn't  been  tried — and 
failed." 

"What  is  that?" 

"  Prayer." 

"Prayer!     On  the  spite  fence?" 

"  Why  not  on  anything  ?  " 

"  It  hadn't  occurred  to  me  as  a  remedy  for  this." 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  65 

"  Then  you're  not  consistent." 

"  Possibly."  And  Northmore  wondered  at  the 
antagonism  which  this  autocrat  of  his  own  calling 
roused  in  him.  He  moved  on,  and  the  other  turned  and 
fell  into  step  beside  him,  as  if  he  had  been  waiting  for 
an  interview.  They  walked  silently  for  a  block,  then 
the  older  man  began  with  character,  directness,  and 
force :  "  I'm  going  to  tell  you,  Mr.  Northmore,  right 
in  the  beginning,  that  I'm  exceedingly  sorry  that  you're 
not  married,  and  that,  being  a  young  man,  you're  an  in- 
mate of  the  Garnett  house — and  the  pastor." 

"  Ah?  "  said  Northmore,  at  a  loss  for  better  answer. 

"  Yes.  I  am  trying  to  persuade  Silence  to  return 
with  me — as  Mrs.  Firestone.  My  station  requires  a 
married  man — and  I  have  lost  my  wife — my  beautiful, 
gifted  wife.  I  lost  her  just  as  I  started  for  home." 

He  paused  to  control  his  voice,  and  went  on  after  a 
few  minutes :  "  You  speak  lightly  of  prayer  for  tem- 
poral things.  Let  me  tell  you  that  I  could  hardly  have 
lived  through  that  bereavement  without  its  solace — and 
that  beloved  wife  came  to  me  through  its  agency — in 
direct  answer  to  it.  She  was  the  noblest,  truest  help- 
meet that  a  man  ever  had,  the  best  wife,  the  best  mother. 
And  God  took  her ! " 

Northmore  put  out  his  hand.  "  You  have  known  the 
greatest  human  loss,"  he  said  stiffly,  too  reserved  to  ex- 
press his  genuine  sympathy. 

"  It  surely  is.  And  she  was  a  miracle.  It  was  near 
the  time  of  sailing,  when  my  station  was  suddenly 
changed,  and  I  must  go  to  the  new  one,  a  married  man. 


66  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

I  was  single.  I  laid  the  matter  before  the  Lord  in 
prayer,  and  suddenly  thought  of  the  minister  of  your 
church,  whom  I  had  known  at  the  Seminary.  I  wrote 
him  of  the  situation,  asking  if  he  knew  a  suitable  per- 
son. He  replied  that  a  young  lady  of  his  charge  had 
prepared  herself  for  missionary  work,  and  I  came  on 
immediately,  was  introduced  to  her,  the  most  beautiful 
girl  in  town.  I  called  upon  her,  told  my  predicament, 
asked  if  she  would  accompany  me  in  the  required  rela- 
tion. She  consented ;  it  had  been  a  passion  with  her — 
against  the  wishes  of  her  parents.  Within  the  hour  our 
plans  were  completed.  We  made  some  hurried  arrange- 
ments for  our  marriage  and  for  our  journey,  and  within 
two  weeks  were  on  our  way — husband  and  wife,  to  that 
far  country — from  which  she  was  never  to  return.  She 
gave  seven  years  of  grand  service  to  the  Lord,  and 
then  came  our  time  to  return  for  the  eighth  year.  We 
were  waiting  till  she  should  be  able  to  travel — full  of 
bright  anticipations  for  this  first  homecoming.  She 
was  eager  to  bring  her  children  to  her  parents.  We  sat 
one  evening  and  built  our  air  castles — the  next — she  had 
— gone — home — with  her  little  one  in  her  arms !  " 

"  Good  gracious !  "  said  Northmore.  "  It  was  hard 
for  you  to  live — afterwards." 

There  was  a  long  pause.  Firestone  could  not  speak. 
At  last  he  went  on  in  a  forced  tone :  "  I  came  home — 
bereaved — with  my  three  little  children — whom  I  must 
leave  here.  My  year  is  almost  up.  I  cannot  return — 
unmarried.  And  I  have  selected  Silence  Garnett,  of 
whose  charms  you  were  so  conscious  this  evening,  as  the 


'ALTARS   TO   MAMMON  67 

most  suitable  woman  I  know — to  return  with  me.  I  have 
made  a  formal  proposal  to  her — which  she  is  now 
considering." 

"  Miss  Garnett !  "  and  Northmore  turned  and  looked 
at  him. 

"  I  thought  I  had  better  tell  you  frankly  just  what 
the  situation  is — so  that — you  are  thrown  with  her  so 
much " 

"  So  far  as  that  is  concerned,  you  needn't  have  any 
fear — but — Miss  Garnett — why,  she  is  an  only  child — 
and  she  isn't  even  a  member  of  the  church ! " 

"  No,  but  she  ought  to  be.  Her  mother  feels  that 
this  very  thing  would  rouse  her  to  a  sense  of  her  duty. 
I  count  upon  her  influence.  I  hope,  Mr.  Northmore, 
that  I  may  also  count  upon  yours." 

Northmore's  answer  was  instantaneous.  "  No,  Mr. 
Firestone,  I  am  sorry  to  say  that  you  cannot.  I 
couldn't  imagine  a  girl  more  unfitted  for  such  a  life 
than  Miss  Garnett — nor  one  who  might  be  more  easily 
coerced  into  it.  And  besides — your  heart — is  with  your 
lost  wife.  You  have  nothing  to  offer  her  but  a  mar- 
riage of  convenience.  Even  your  holy  calling  will  not 
condone  that.  I  am  brutally  candid,  you  see." 

"  I  thank  you  for  that.  It  is  better  to  know  where 
you  stand.  If  you  are  to  be  my  rival,  I  hope  to  win 
in  spite  of  you.  Good-night." 


CHAPTER  V 

NOETHMORE  called  on  Elijah  Sims  the  morning  after 
the  reception,  and  found  his  man  sitting  at  a  rough 
desk  in  the  little  pine  office  of  his  lumber  yard,  his 
narrow  head  bent  over  a  ledger.  He  responded  to 
Northmore's  greeting  in  a  low  tone  and  with  evasive 
eyes  as  if  cordiality  would  commit  him  to  something. 
The  caller  seated  himself  with  an  air  of  permanence,  and 
the  lumber  dealer  squirmed  apprehensively  in  his  chair 
and  turned  a  leaf  of  his  ledger. 

"  I  see  that  you  are  busy,  Mr.  Sims,  and  I  will  state 
my  business  at  once.  I  have  come  to  confer  with  you 
regarding  your  fence  over  the  windows.  I  have  a 
formal  request  from  the  church  that  it  be  removed." 

Mr.  Sims  gave  a  little  gasp  at  the  directness  of  the 
statement.  He  studied  the  page  before  him  for  some 
seconds  before  drawling  in  his  reluctant  speech :  "  Wall, 
I  do*  know's  I  hev  anything  to  say  to  you  or  to  the 
members  about  it.  When  the  church  does  the  square 
thing  by  me,  I'll  do  the  square  thing  by  the  church. 
That's  business." 

"  I  don't  think  that  is  a  fair  statement  of  the  case." 

"  Wall,  I  hev  bene  a  pillow  of  that  church  fur  thirty- 
seven  year,  and  hev  give  to  it  liberally,  and  hev  advanced 
money  when  it  was  needed,  and  only  charged  a  legal 
rate  of  interest.  The  church  has  never  give  me  back  a 

68 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  69 

cent,  nor  done  a  thing  fur  me,  and  the  time  has  come 
when  I  want  it.  Ef  you  want  to  be  on  good  tarms  with 
me,  you'll  tell  the  stewards  that  they  ought  to  take  my 
house  fur  a  passonage.  Ef  you've  come  here  to  take 
sides  agin  me,  why,  I  reckon  me  an'  the  church  '11  hev 
it  out  alone." 

Northmore  straightened  in  his  chair.  "  Do  you  look 
for  a  temporal  return  from  the  church  of  the  help  you 
have  given  it?  Do  you  expect  to  force  the  issue  by 
desecrating  the  house  of  God?  "  he  asked  earnestly. 

Mr.  Sims  rubbed  the  side  of  his  nose  with  a  lean  fore- 
finger and  looked  hard  at  a  waggon  which  was  being 
loaded  before  the  door.  Northmore  stirred  impatiently, 
stung  by  the  other's  contemptuous  silence. 

"  You  certainly  do  not  mean  to  injure  the  church  to 
which  you  have  belonged  for  so  many  years.  You  don't 
realise " 

The  old  man  turned  to  him  with  a  thin,  cruel  smile. 
"  The  Supreme  Court  of  Ohio  has " 

"  I  know  it  has,  but  even  the  Supreme  Court  cannot 
legalise  such  a  crime  against  the  public  good.  Owner- 
ship is  not  so  absolute  as  that ;  all  within  the  common- 
wealth must  conduce  to  the  common  weal.  In  a  case 
where  law  is  obviously  illegal,  we  who  profess  to  follow 
the  law  of  God  must  revert  to  its  higher  code.  Our  law 
is,  '  Love  thy  neighbour,'  and  *  Do  unto  others.5  We 
are  forsworn  to  that  law,  Mr.  Sims." 

"Wall,  they's  allus  two  sides  to  a  story,  and  to  a 
law.  That  church  dessicates  my  house,  too.  I  can't 
sell  it  for  what  it's  wuth,  next  lot  to  a  church.  I've 


70  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

been  holding  it  a  long  time,  'lowing  that  the  church 
would  hev  to  buy  it." 

'*  I  understood  that  you  sold  the  church  lot  yourself 
— but  granting  that  it  is  an  injury,  a  spite  fence  is  no 
remedy  for  it.  Two  wrongs  never  .make  a  right — and 
no  member  who  is  guilty  of  inflicting  such  an  injury  can 
expect  to  retain  his  standing." 

Mr.  Sims  stared  blankly,  with  dropped  jaw,  at  the 
minister.  "-Huh?  What  did  you  say?  Wall,  I  guess 
you'll  find  out  who  you're  tacklin'  before  you  git 
through  with  puttin'  me  out  of  my  church! "  His 
hand  wavered  uncertainly  about  his  mouth,  which  smiled 
cruelly  again.  "  When  you-all  git  ready  to  talk  busi- 
ness to  me  about  my  house,  I'll  talk  to  you,"  he  said. 

A  dark  flush  surged  over  Northmore's  face.  "  Mr. 
Sims,  you  are  the  one  member  of  this  congregation  to 
profess  Christian  perfection.  Doesn't  that  mean  any- 
thing? " 

Mr.  Sims  leaned  back  confidently  before  he  answered. 
"  Wall,  the  law  is  on  my  side  and — I've  allus  found  the 
Lord  on  the  same  side  as  the  law.  I  reckon  the  best  I 
kin  do  is  to  leave  well  enough  alone." 

Northmore  sprang  to  his  feet,  biting  his  lips  for 
self-control.  "  Mr.  Sims,"  he  said  with  sudden  gentle- 
ness, "  let  us  pray." 

"  Huh?  " 

The  minister  and  his  stiff-necked  parishioner,  who 
could  not  refuse  the  invitation,  knelt  together  in  the  tiny 
room  and  the  old  man  could  but  listen  to  the  forcible 
petition  which  poured  from  the  lips  of  the  younger. 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  71 

He  was  wiping  the  perspiration  from  his  head  when 
Northmore  faced  him  again. 

"  I  will  call  to-morrow  to  see  what  the  Lord  has  given 
you  to  decide.  Good-morning,"  and  he  was  gone  as 
abruptly  as  he  had  come. 

The  first  man  he  met  as  he  climbed  the  steep  street 
from  the  flat  was  Mr.  Moneypenny,  who  stopped  him 
to  say,  "  Mr.  Northmore,  do  you  think  that  we  can  ever 
do  anything  about  Lije  Sims'  fence?  I  don't  s'pose  it 
would  do  to  speak  to  him  about  it — but  a  letter — or 
something  might  be  written,  don't  you  think?  We're 
up  against  it  hard,  there,  and  I  can't  see  a  way  out." 

Northmore  winced.  "  I  think  we  had  better  try  moral 
suasion  first — and  then — well,  he  has  the  law !  " 

The  hardware  man  give  his  fat,  kindly  laugh. 
"  Moral  suasion  is  all  very  well  on  a  human  man — but 
^ou  don't  know  Lije.  He's  as  cold  as  a  fish — but  what- 
ever you  can  think  of  to  do,  there's  one  thing  certain, 
the  church  will  be  with  you." 

The  lumber  office  was  locked  the  next  morning,  and 
the  morning  after.  Northmore  had  taken  a  book  with 
him  on  the  third  visit,  and  though  he  waited  for  hours 
and  was  sure  that  he  saw  a  vague  figure  skulking  among 
the  leaning  stacks  of  plank,  the  office  was  still  deserted, 
nor  did  he  succeed  in  catching  its  owner  there  again, 
though  his  vigilance  was  untiring.  It  was  fully  a  month 
before  he  found  another  opportunity  to  pray  with  his 
obdurate  member.  Meanwhile  the  spite  fence  stood, 
gaunt  and  hideous,  a  herald  to  the  world  of  the  internal 
dissension  that  tore  the  society.  At  the  end  of  this 


173  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

month  Northmore  was  discouraged  enough  to  be  in 
favour  of  heroic  measures — if  he  had  known  of  any. 
He  especially  felt  his  helplessness  when  Mr.  Moneypenny 
rose  in  prayer  meeting  and  said  earnestly,  "  The  sub- 
ject of  my  need  to-night  is  not  personal;  it  is  the  ter- 
rible disgrace  of  our  beloved  church,  and  the  detri- 
ment to  its  usefulness.  Our  pastor  has  tried  moral 
suasion  and  prayer  in  vain,  upon  the  member  whose 
oppression  we  feel.  What  are  we  to  do  when  these 
fail?" 

Mr.  Firestone  was  on  his  feet  at  once.  "  Prayer 
never  fails.  We  haven't  prayed  enough." 

Northmore  smiled,  remembering  how  unconsciously 
he  had  tried  that  advice.  But  Mrs.  Jernigan  was  on 
her  feet.  He  liked  Mrs.  Jernigan.  "  I  was  one  of  the 
temperance  Crusaders,  twenty  years  ago,"  she  began. 
"  I  saw  every  saloon  in  this  town  closed  by  the  power 
of  prayer.  I  saw  it  work  on  a  stubborn  sinner,  and  I 
reckon  it  will  work  as  well  on  a  stubborn  saint — if  you 
apply  it  right.  You  want  to  apply  prayer  like  a 
mustard  plaster,  right  onto  the  spot ;  that's  the  way  we 
did  it  in  that  wonderful  Crusade.  We  went  to  the 
saloons,  the  women  of  this  town,  and  we  stayed  there 
day  after  day  and  applied  our  prayers  to  the  sinners 
right  in  their  own  saloons,  till  they  couldn't  stand  it 
no  longer.  Now  that's  the  way  to  pray  for  Lije  Sims. 
Let's  go  and  hold  a  prayer  meeting  in  his  office  and  in 
his  house,  a  prayer  meeting  that  won't  end  until  the 
Lord  batters  in  his  hard  old  heart  and  smashes  down  the 
spite  fence." 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  73 

"  Amen,  sister ! "  responded  a  dozen  voices. 

"  Then  the  sooner  the  better,"  she  urged,  and  the 
people  rose  vith  one  impulse  and  flocked  to  the  adja- 
cent house.  The  surprised  owner  opened  the  door  at 
Mr.  Moneypenny's  knock.  He  lived  alone  in  the  house 
with  his  elderly  son,  his  wife  having  given  up  her  life 
struggle  long  before. 

"  We  have  come  to  hold  our  prayer  meeting  with  you, 
Mr.  Sims,"  explained  the  merchant  briefly.  The  old 
man  uttered  an  inarticulate  sound  and  backed  into  the 
hall,  closing  the  door  after  him.  Nothing  daunted, 
Mr.  Moneypenny  said,  **  Then  we  will  pray  outside," 
and  kneeling  on  the  steps,  offered  a  short,  fervent  peti- 
tion that  the  Lord  would  lead  His  servant  to  respect  the 
tabernacle  and  remove  the  impediment  which  now  so 
sorely  shackled  His  church.  The  sincerity  of  the 
simple  appeal  was  heartily  endorsed  by  its  hearers.  At 
its  close,  a  ringing  hymn  was  started  which  attracted 
spectators  from  all  directions,  as  if  it  had  been  a  fire 
alarm.  It  was  the  hour  when  Mogadonians  were  stroll- 
ing the  streets  seeking  entertainment  and  soda  water 
and  eager  for  a  sensation.  Before  the  second  prayer 
was  ended,  an  enthusiastic  crowd  blocked  the  street, 
while  the  ubiquitous  small  boy,  wild  with  delight,  filled 
trees  and  fences  with  himself. 

The  meeting  closed  at  the  usual  time.  If  there  was 
any  force  in  the  frankly  expressed  sentiment  of  his 
townspeople,  Elijah  Sims  certainly  got  the  benefit  of  it 
through  his  closed  shutters.  The  matter  was  practi- 
cally taken  out  of  Northmore's  hands,  though  he  had 


74  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

not  uttered  a  word  of  opposition ;  he  felt  that  no 
apology  was  needed,  and  he  awaited  developments. 
The  crowd  scattered  unwillingly  when  the  meeting  was 
over,  though  half-grown  boys  lingered  for  hours  in  the 
vicinity.  The  next  day  school  children,  as  well  as  older 
folk,  walked  by  to  see  the  old  red  house  and  stare  with 
renewed  interest  at  the  huge  fence,  and  in  the  evening 
idlers  gathered  from  far  and  near  hoping  for  a  renewal 
of  the  siege.  The  house  was  dark,  possibly  in  the  same 
expectation.  When  nothing  happened,  however,  the 
boys,  not  to  be  disappointed,  instituted  a  private  crusade 
with  a  battle  yell,  which  echoed  in  high  treble  voices 
through  all  parts  of  the  town,  far  into  the  night: 

"Oh,  come  on,  'Lijah  Sims,  and  take  your  spite  fence  down! 
Take  it  down !    Take  it  down !    Oh,  tear  your  old  fence  down !  " 


CHAPTER    VI 

A  LIGHT  shower  fell  sometime  during  the  night,  and  the 
morning  sunshine  distilled  spicy  fragrance  from  moist 
earth  and  ripened  leaves.  The  hillsides  blazed  gold  and 
crimson  behind  velvet  green  of  wheatfields,  and  October 
haze  lay  like  purple  bloom  on  round  hilltops  and  distant 
curves  of  valley.  Northmore  could  not  resist  the  in- 
vitation of  the  beloved  forest,  and  pocketed  the  notes 
for  his  sermon  of  the  next  day,  intending  to  draw  his 
inspiration  from  the  flaming  solitudes.  He  was  still 
an  inmate  of  the  Garnett  home,  pending  some  necessary 
alterations  of  Mrs.  Jernigan's  small  house,  where  he  was 
to  lodge  permanently.  He  went  down  through  the  town 
to  get  his  mail,  and  stopped  in  the  post  office  to  look  it 
over.  As  he  came  down  the  steps  afterward,  with  his 
letters  in  his  hand,  a  girl  drove  up  to  the  curb  before 
him  in  a  smart  runabout,  both  girl  and  vehicle  unlike 
anything  that  he  had  previously  seen  on  the  streets  of 
Mogadonia.  She  leaned  forward  to  look  around  in 
puzzled  inquiry.  She  was  so  handsome,  so  distinguished 
in  manner,  that  he  hesitated  a  moment  before  offering 
the  assistance  that  she  evidently  wanted,  then,  meeting 
her  eyes,  he  stepped  out  to  her,  lifting  his  hat. 

"  Allow  me — shall  I  help  you  out?  Do  you  want 
him  hitched ! " 

"  N-no,  it  doesn't  seem  to  be  of  any  use,"  she  replied 
in  a  disappointed  tone.  "  There  has  been  some  mistake. 

75 


76  ALTARS   TO    MAMMON 

I  was  to  meet  the  children  of  the  town  here — the  poor 
children — and  taken  them  to  Heathermuir  for  the  day — 
but  something  has  happened.  The  notice  could  not 
have  been  published — you  don't  know  of  any  other 
reason,  do  you?  Oh,  I  am  Miss  Morgan.  I  thought 
everyone  here  knew  me."  The  last  in  answer  to  his 
puzzled  eyes. 

A  light  broke  upon  Northmore ;  the  shadowy  name  of 
Morgan  had  glanced  about  in  his  hearing  without  any 
materialisation,  ever  since  he  had  been  in  the  town,  but, 
since  the  story  told  him  by  Quiggins  on  that  first  day, 
no  one  had  spoken  ill  of  it,  and  the  impression  he  first 
received  had  grown  less  vivid.  He  now  remembered  see- 
ing a  notice  and  advertisement  in  the  paper  that  Miss 
Morgan  invited  the  children  of  the  town  to  meet  her  at 
the  post  office  steps  on  Saturday  morning  for  a  day  at 
Heathermuir,  but  he  had  got  no  meaning  from  it  and 
had  forgotten  it.  She  was  asking  a  solution  of  him 
with  her  eyes.  He  glanced  at  the  post  office  steps. 
Two  shy,  neat  mulatto  children  waited  there,  hand  in 
hand. 

"  No,  I  don't  know  of  any  reason.  I  saw  the  notice 
in  various  places.  I  am  the  minister  of  the  church 
opposite.  My  name  is  Northmore." 

"  I  wonder  what  can  have  happened?  I  expected  so 
many  and  hoped  they  would  come;  I  have  music  and 
games  and  kindergartners  to  entertain  them — and  things 
to  eat — oh,  dear !  It  is  an  utter  failure.  Can  you  tell 
me  why  they  wouldn't  come?  Look  here !  "  The  street 
behind  her  had  filled  with  vehicles  of  all  descriptions 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  77 

from  a  shining  victoria  to  a  row  of  green  farm  wagons 
marked  "  Heathermuir  "  on  the  side. 

"  How  can  I  ever  get  out  of  town  ?  "  she  appealed 
with  moistening  eyes. 

There  was  in  her  manner  such  an  instant  recognition 
of  the  protector  in  Northmore,  such  a  sweeping  away  of 
conventionality,  that  he  could  but  meet  her  friendliness 
on  its  own  plane. 

"  I  am  utterly  at  a  loss  to  explain  it,  Miss  Morgan. 
I  thought  it  a  noble  thing  to  do ;  there  are  certainly  a 
great  many  children  in  the  place  who  look  as  if  they 
never  had  had  a  pleasant  day.  Possibly  some  were  not 
even  able  to  get  here,  supposing  they  got  the  invitation." 

"  Then  how— what  shall  I  do  about  it?  " 

"  Why  not  drive  over  to  Shantytown  and  Whisky 
Island  and  gather  them  up  ?  " 

"  Surely.  What  a  good  idea — but — I  couldn't  do  it 
alone." 

"  I  think  you  could." 

"  No,  I  should  be  afraid  of  them.  Can't  you  go  with 
me — and  your  wife,  too  ?  I  will  drive  round  to  the  par- 
sonage." 

"  I  will  go  with  you  if  I  can  help  you — but  the  par- 
sonage is  empty.  I  am  not  married." 

"  That  is  too  bad ;  your  wife  would  be  a  help.  But 
we  can  go  quicker  without  her.  Get  right  in,  and  I 
will  send  back  part  of  my  retinue.  How  many  vehicles 
do  you  suppose  we  shall  need?  " 

"  We  may  get  twenty  or  more  children  on  such  short 
notice.  But  I  don't  know  anything  about  it." 


78  ALTARS    TO   MAMMON 

"  Twenty !  And  I  planned  for  two  hundred.  Father 
said  there  were  five  hundred  in  town." 

Northmore  took  his  place  beside  her  and  she  directed 
most  of  the  waggons  homeward,  telling  the  driver  of  one 
which  she  retained  to  pick  up  the  two  coloured  children. 
She  handed  the  reins  to  Northmore.  "  You  will  know 
where  to  go  better  than  I  do.  I  have  been  away  for 
several  years." 

He  drove  to  the  quarter  through  which  he  had  walked 
on  that  first  Sunday  evening,  stopping  at  a  house  across 
the  creek  where  three  unkempt  children  in  dun-coloured 
rags  played  on  the  cinders  before  the  door.  Their 
mother,  a  sharp-faced  American  woman  with  snappy 
eyes,  came  from  a  back  room,  wiping  suds  from  her 
arms. 

"  What  do  you  want  of  them  ?  "  she  demanded. 

"  Just  to  take  them  for  a  happy  day  in  the  country. 
It's  so  lovely  now,"  pleaded  the  girl. 

"  Ain't  you  Tom  Morgan's  girl  ?  " 

"  Yes." 

"  Um-hm.     Well,  I  ain't  got  time  to  fix  'em  up." 

"  Oh,  I  will  take  care  of  that.  If  you  have  no  other 
objection " 

"  No,  I  guess  they  can't  go.  No,  they  don't  have  to, 
if  you  must  know,  Miss  Morgan.  We're  poor  enough, 
but  we  ain't  that  kind  of  charity." 

"  Never  mind,"  consoled  Northmore  as  they  turned 
away.  "We'll  have  better  luck  at  the  next  house. 
She's  a  tartar." 

The  next  woman  was  a  Hungarian,  just  over,  who 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  79 

wore  a  funny  plaid  petticoat  and  remarkable  home-made 
shoes,  constructed  from  pieces  of  carpet,  and  nearly  the 
size  of  porch  pillows.  When  she  finally  understood  that 
her  children  were  wanted  for  some  unknown  reason,  she 
barred  them  inside  the  door  with  her  arms  and  shook 
her  head  in  frightened  refusal.  The  next  five  houses 
had  Polish  and  Russian  occupants,  and  though  they 
swarmed  with  children,  not  one  could  be  borrowed  for  a 
day  of  pleasure,  although  they  could  easily  have  been 
hired  for  work. 

"  An'  is  it  the  childher  ye  be  wantin'  ?  "  smiled  the 
gracious  Irish  woman  whose  house  was  last  in  the  row. 
"  An'  is  it  in  the  beautiful  carriage  that  yourself  is 
goin'  to  take  them  into  the  counthry?  Indade  it's 
that  glad  they'll  be  to  go,  Miss,  barrin'  that  Patsy  has 
no  shoes  an'  it's  Katie's  dhress  that's  on  the  line.  Will 
yez  be  stheppin'  in  to  wait  for  thim  ?  " 

"  No,  we  will  call  here  on  our  way  back.  Be  sure  to 
have  them  ready." 

At  another  house  three  youngsters  were  found  who 
could  be  put  into  visiting  order  immediately,  and  by  this 
time  the  girl  had  fallen  into  the  spirit  of  the  chase,  and 
could  take  rebuffs  without  wincing.  A  thorough  can- 
vass of  the  quarter  netted  about  twenty  children  of 
eight  nationalities.  As  they  left  the  last  street  to  drive 
round  to  the  bridge,  a  solitary  cabin  clinging  to  the 
gravelly  hillside  above  attracted  their  notice.  "  We 
had  better  go  there,"  advised  Miss  Morgan ;  "  it  looks 
poor  enough  to  be  full  of  children." 

A  man  with  bleached  face  and  hair  sat  in  the  open 


80  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

door,  and  behind  him  could  be  seen  a  ghostly  figure  in  a 
bed.  His  weak  form  shook  with  paralysis,  yet  he  was 
not  an  old  man. 

"  No,  there  are  no  children  here,"  he  said  shortly. 

"You  have  sickness,  though,"  and  the  girl's  tender 
tone  was  sympathy  itself. 

"  Yes,  we  have  nothing  else." 

She  looked  at  the  man  with  struggling  recognition, 
and  flushed  a  little  at  his  querulous  tone.  <;  You  will 
let  me  send  you  something — so  much  is  needed  in  sick- 
ness— or — I  live  so  far  away — if  you  would  order  it 
yourself  " — she  was  crushing  a  bill  into  his  pale  hand 
and  turned  quickly  away. 

"  Who  are  you  ?  "  he  demanded. 

"  It  doesn't  matter — why,  yes,  I  know  you  now — but 
you  have  changed  so  much.  You  are  Mr.  Ellis ;  you 
used  to  work  for  my  father  when  I  was  a  little  girl. 
Have  you  been  ill  long?  " 

The  man  was  in  desperate  need ;  he  looked  eagerly  at 
the  bill — a  large  one — and  at  the  sweet,  pitying  face, 
then  he  held  out  the  money  to  her.  "  Here,  Miss  Mor- 
gan, I  can't  take  this.  I  don't  want  your  money." 

"  Please  do,  please — or  let  me  do  more  than  that." 

"  No,  Miss  Florida,  I  take  none  of  your  charity." 

His  tone  was  final.  She  turned  away  and  he  tossed 
the  bill  after  her.  She  carried  her  head  proudly  when 
they  drove  through  the  town  again,  but  her  cheeks 
burned  persistently.  Northmore  knew  something  of  city 
slums  and  their  ready  mendicancy,  but  this  problem 
was  of  a  new  order. 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  81 

"  You  will  go  out  home  with  me  and  help  me  through, 
won't  you  ?  You  have  saved  the  day  for  me — and  much 
humiliation,"  she  said  as  they  returned  to  the  post  office. 

"  It  is  quite  impossible  for  me  to  go — and  you  will 
get  on  much  better  alone,"  he  answered,  turning  back  to 
add,  "  You're  not  going  to  let  one  little  backset  dis- 
courage you  ?  " 

She  smiled  doubtfully.  "  No,  I — guess  not — not  if 
I  can  find  a  way  to  improve  upon  it." 

"  You  can  do  that  in  the  light  of  this  experience. 
That  is  the  only  school.  There  will  always  be  rebuffs 
and  obstacles — but  you  mustn't  mind  them  so  long  as 
the  benefit  is  perceptible.  The  failures  are  the  training, 
you  know." 

"  I  suppose  so.  I  fancy  Ellis,  that  sick  man,  must 
be  out  of  his  head.  He  surely  needs  help,  and  there 
was  no  reason  for  his  being  so  proud.  His  eyes  looked 
very  wild." 

"  Yes.  The  morbid  unfortunate  are  the  most  diffi- 
cult to  help.  But  you  will  soon  learn  all  the  values  of 
these  obstacles,  and  then  you  can  do  great  good." 

"  Really,  do  you  think  so  ?  Thank  you  for  the  en- 
couragement and  for  your  timely  assistance  to-day. 
Good-bye." 

He  watched  her  drive  away,  wondering  if  the  doors  of 
Shantytown  were  closed  against  this  beautiful  girl  in 
her  armour  of  good  breeding,  for  sufficient  cause.  If 
she,  with  every  accessory  at  her  command,  failed,  what 
could  he  hope  to  do?  He  walked  out  of  the  town  and 
around  Old  Whiteface,  to  his  favourite  nook  on  the 


82  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

other  side,  a  jutting  crag  overlooking  the  larger  valley 
in  that  direction.  It  was  crowned  with  a  group  of 
maples,  now  a  mass  of  floating  gold  in  the  brilliant  morn- 
ing. He  looked  down  the  richly  cultivated  landscape 
of  the  valley,  fed  by  an  artery  of  gleaming  stream,  de- 
flected at  the  end  by  Blue  Mountain,  whose  thinning 
tree  tops  revealed  for  the  first  time  to  him  the  turrets 
and  gables  of  a  great  stone  house.  This  must  be  the 
home  of  the  man  of  the  shadowy  personality  which  had 
haunted  him  since  the  morning  wait  at  Bellevue — and  of 
the  girl  of  most  real  personality,  who  haunted  him  now. 
While  he  gazed,  a  procession  of  empty  vehicles  emerged 
from  the  shaded  road  and  entered  the  iron  gates  at  the 
foot  of  the  hill.  That,  then,  was  Heathermuir.  He 
turned  away,  stretched  himself  upon  a  drift  of  yellow 
leaves  regardless  of  their  dampness,  and  drew  out  his 
notes.  His  sermon  was  in  a  nebulous  state,  there  was 
much  yet  to  do.  He  read  the  top  line — what  did  he  in- 
tend to  make  of  that?  He  could  not  remember.  He 
read  it  again — he  must  work  fast,  for  he  had  lost  most 
of  the  morning.  What  could  he  have  meant  to  do  with 
it?  He  read  it  once  more.  A  big  scarlet  leaf  floated 
down  upon  the  paper  before  him ;  a  tiny  Canadian  wren 
perched  in  a  hazel  bush  at  his  head  and  was  not  fright- 
ened. A  pillow  of  moss  invited  his  head;  from  it  he 
could  see  the  deep  pure  blue  of  the  sky  through  the 
lower  branches.  The  little  wren  turned  his  head  from 
side  to  side  looking  at  the  long  figure.  It  seemed  to 
Northmore  only  a  few  minutes  that  he  was  looking  into 
the  arabesque  of  gold  and  blue  before  he  heard  the 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  83 

town  clock  strike  one,  his  dinner  hour.  He  sprang  to 
his  feet,  conscience-smitten  at  the  wasting  of  the  morn- 
ing, for  the  scarlet  leaf  still  lay  upon  his  page  of  notes. 
He  hurried  away  intending  to  do  penance  in  his  study 
that  afternoon  and  work  out  a  sermon  that  would  make 
some  impress  upon  his  congregation — which  dwindled 
week  after  week.  The  story  Quiggins  had  told  him  on 
that  first  morning  was  proving  itself  day  by  day.  It 
was  true  that  the  one  member  in  his  church  annulled  his 
best  effort;  that  so  long  as  Elijah  Sims  and  his  spite 
fence  deadlocked  progress  in  that  church,  effort  was 
entirely  superfluous. 

The  afternoon  was  no  more  productive  of  great 
thoughts  than  the  morning  had  been ;  he  was  thoroughly 
disheartened,  and  the  incident  of  Miss  Morgan's  failure 
had  a  meaning  for  him.  He  tried  to  write  his  sermon, 
but  destroyed  each  page  as  he  completed  it.  He  won- 
dered if  he  could  ever  hope  to  rouse  his  apathetic  church 
to  action — but  what  had  he  to  offer  it?  He  remembered 
the  day  when  he  had  scorned  the  idea  of  difficulty  in 
this  charge,  and  wished  for  metal  more  worthy  of  his 
steel! 

He  was  still  grinding  nervously  at  a  first  page  when 
the  supper  bell  rang,  and  he  gladly  joined  the  cheerful 
family  circle,  hoping  to  rid  himself  of  the  stupor  which 
appeared  to  possess  his  faculties — and  to  exclude  from 
his  mind  the  event  of  the  morning — and  the  presence  of 
Miss  Morgan,  which  still  seemed  to  be  at  his  side.  The 
sitting-room  was  so  attractive  after  supper  that  he 
lingered  before  the  wood  fire  which  flashed  pink  lights 


84  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

into  its  grey  corners  and  over  the  girl  at  the  piano. 
Silence  played  the  Mendelssohn  Hunting  Song  for  him 
— her  musical  education  had  been  thorough — and  he 
talked  over  a  late  book  with  Mr.  Garnett,  and  went  back 
to  his  work  re-enforced  for  a  new  beginning.  The 
streets  resounded  with  hideous  noises,  however,  which  on 
this  particular  evening  wore  upon  his  nerves  to  distrac- 
tion. He  accounted  for  them  when  he  heard  the 
"  plunk "  of  a  cabbage  against  the  front  door.  It 
was  hallow-e'en.  The  pandemonium  increased  with  the 
license  of  the  holiday,  until  he  gave  up  and  went  to  bed, 
oddly  enough  falling  asleep  to  the  croak  of  tin  horns, 
the  jangle  of  cow  bells,  and  yells  of  savage  mirth. 

His  first  waking  impression  was  of  consternation  over 
his  unwritten  sermon.  Well,  what  did  it  matter?  he 
asked  himself.  He  would  improvise  something  to  fill  in 
gaps  of  thought.  His  best  work  would  not  move  his 
people — his  worst  could  do  no  less.  It  was  another  day 
of  topaz  and  amber  light  and  sapphire  sky.  He  looked 
down  upon  the  effects  of  the  night's  pranks,  incon- 
gruous with  the  peace  of  the  day.  A  heap  of  stolen 
gates  filled  the  street  in  front  of  the  Garnett  house, 
from  which  wrathful  owners  were  trying  to  select  their 
property,  while  the  grave  and  dignified  residence  itself 
was  bedizened  with  the  signs  of  a  free  lunch  saloon,  a 
Chinese  laundry,  and  a  livery  stable,  and  its  steps  were 
covered  with  all  the  cigar  Indians  in  town.  The  trees 
in  front  bore  grotesque  fruit  in  variety,  and  a  cow  looked 
helplessly  down  from  the  court  house  roof.  The  quiet 
of  Sunday  morning  was  disturbed  by  angry  voices  of 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  85 

the  victims  as  they  compared  notes  of  injury.  North- 
more  went  to  his  breakfast  thinking  that  few  could  go 
to  church  with  such  excitement  for  diversion.  He  was 
scarcely  seated  at  the  table  when  a  caller  was  shown  into 
the  parlour  who  asked  for  him,  and  he  found  it  to  be 
Elijah  Sims,  breathless  and  red,  confronting  him  with 
eyes  of  wrath.  He  took  no  notice  of  Northmore's 
courteous  "  Good-morning,"  but  began  abruptly :  "  I 
just  want  you  to  come  over  to  my  house  and  square  up  a 
little." 

"What  for,  Mr.  Sims?" 

"  For  what  you  done,  destroyin'  my  property." 

"What  I  have  done?" 

"Yas,  you  and  nobody  else  is  to  blame.  You  put 
'em  up  to  it.  This  town  with  all  their  deviltry  wouldn't 
never  dared  to  tackle  me  ef  you  hadn't  sicked  'em  onto 
me  fust.  You're  the  fust  man  that  ever  did  me  up, 
preacher  or  none,  and  if  preachers  wasn't  allus  beggars 
I'd  hev  the  law  onto  you.  I  will  anyway — maleeciously 
destroyin'  property." 

""  Whose  property,  Mr.  Sims  ?  What  has  been 
done?" 

"  You  know  very  well.  Like's  not  you  was  there. 
They  had  a  leader,  all  right." 

A  sudden  light  broke  over  Northmore's  face.  "  Do 
you  mean  to  say  that  the  spite  fence  was  torn  down  ?  " 

*'  That's  what  you  done ;  every  plank  of  it.  Now  it 
won't  do  no  good  to  say  that  you're  sorry." 

"  No,  I  shall  not  say  it.  You  have  told  me  great 
good  news." 


86  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

"  Oh,  you're  glad,  are  you  ?  Glad !  That'll  sound 
nice  in  court — minister  of  the  gospel  leading  a  mob 
agin  his  own  member — minm'  a  hundred  dollars'  wuth 
of  property." 

"  I  am  only  glad  that  we  have  been  freed  from  that 
disgrace.  Was  it  burned?  " 

"  No,  wuss'n  that.  They  took  an'  tore  down  that 
lumber  an'  nailed  it  onto  my  house.  Yas,  sir,  they  took 
an'  boarded  up  every  door  an'  winder  in  my  house, 
nailed  them  planks  on  with  eight-penny  nails  so  solid 
I  don't  see  how  they'll  ever  come  off.  Ef  they  hadn't 
left  a  ladder  stannin'  up  agin  the  wall  I  do'  know  how 
I'd  ever  got  out.  Me  and  my  son  was  canned  in  there 
air  tight;  he  had  to  climb  through  the  trap  door  onto 
the  roof  an'  shin  down  the  ladder  an'  rip  boards  off  the 
kitchen  door — Sunday  mornin'  at  that — before  I  could 
git  out.  Yas,  sir,  that's  what  you're  goin'  to  answer 
for — an'  it  ain't  no  laughin'  matter." 

"  It  has  never  been  a  laughing  matter,  Mr.  Sims,  or 
it  would  not  have  incensed  the  people  to  taking  the 
affair  into  their  own  hands.  Of  course,  they  went  too 
far,  as  lynch  law  always  does  when  it  must  supplement 
inadequate  laws." 

"  It  was  your  prayin'  that  sot  them  on.  They  took 
an'  painted  the  golden  rule  onto  the  front,  in  letters  a 
foot  long.  Oh,  I'll  get  even  with  you!" 

"  If  you  call  this  an  answer  to  prayer,  your  quarrel 
is  not  with  me.  I  did  not  dictate  to  the  Lord  the  manner 
of  His  answer — and  it  is  not  a  crime  in  this  country  to 
pray  as  we  choose." 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  87 

The  minister  rose  with  an  air  of  dismissal,  and  his 
caller  got  swiftly  to  his  feet.  "  Wall,  all  I  want  to 
know  is,  who  is  goin'  to  pay  me  for  my  lumber?  "  he 
asked  meekly. 

"  You  have  still  got  your  lumber,  and  I  will  see  that 
all  the  real  loss  is  made  up  to  you.  Good-morning, 
Mr.  Sims." 

He  was  so  preoccupied  with  his  unfinished  sermon  that 
he  could  not  give  a  thought  to  even  this  removal  of  his 
burden,  but  worked  until  the  tolling  of  the  bell,  and 
walked  unthinking  into  the  door  of  the  church,  where 
he  paused  a  second  in  amazement.  The  pews  were 
crowded  to  the  end  for  the  first  time,  with  expectant 
people,  upon  whom  streamed  the  light  of  the  splendid 
autumn  morning.  He  swung  down  the  aisle  to  the  pulpit 
with  his  long  step,  thrilled  deliciously  with  the  triumph 
of  the  moment,  but  by  the  time  he  faced  the  congrega- 
tion his  honest  conscience  had  turned  its  searchlight  in- 
ward, and  a  hot  wave  of  shame  surged  over  him.  While 
he  rolled  out  the  words  of  his  first  hymn,  he  was  think- 
ing :  "  Nothing  but  cheap  sensationalism  has  brought 
this  crowd.  The  best  work  I  could  do  failed  to  reach 
them — but  let  them  think  I  am  a  mountebank — a  rioter 
— anything  but  a  good  preacher — and  look  at  them! 
It  was  not  to  hear  a  sermon  they  came.  It  was  to  see 
a  show ! " 

His  strong  voice  led  the  singing  as  he  reflected, 
"  Must  I  blow  a  tin  horn  to  lead  men  to  God  ?  A  pulpit 
buffoon  is  the  grossest  of  blasphemers;  I  have  been 
worse.  I  have  made  a  mockery  of  prayer,  for  I  used 


88  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

the  name  of  the  Most  High  in  petitions  which  were  ad- 
dressed to  Public  Sentiment,  and  which  were  answered 
by  Public  Sentiment — never  by  God ! " 

The  words  of  his  prayer  faltered  upon  his  lips  in 
shame.  He  was  searching  himself  for  sincerity,  to  know 
if  he  were  addressing  this  invocation  to  God  or  to  his 
congregation.  Was  he  honest  in  begging  for  special 
forgiveness,  special  blessings,  special  guidance  of  the 
nation's  rulers?  Would  God  really  grant  these  things 
for  his  asking?  Would  He  withhold  one  iota  if  this 
prayer  were  never  uttered?  His  words  failed.  There 
was  a  long  breath  in  which  the  clock  thundered  passing 
seconds  at  him.  Then  in  a  humbler  tone  he  asked  that 
he  might  know  Truth  and  tell  it  to  men,  that  Divine  love 
might  uplift  men  to  Divine  living  and  the  link  between 
God  and  His  creature  be  strengthened.  To  this  came 
the  inner  response  of  genuineness.  He  had  asked  for 
the  spiritually  possible,  to  which  he  expected  an  answer. 
The  sermon  that  followed  was  the  worst,  structurally,  he 
had  ever  done,  but  every  word  of  it  was  sincere,  and  the 
people  listened  as  though  he  were  printing  it  upon  their 
hearts. 


CHAPTER    VII 

IT  did  not  surprise  Northmore  to  come  upon  her  again 
unexpectedly ;  he  had  hardly  turned  a  corner  since  Sat- 
urday morning  without  a  sense  of  disappointment  that 
he  did  not  meet  her,  hence  it  appeared  to  be  quite  in  the 
natural  course  of  things  that  she  should  be  sitting  alone 
in  her  broken  runabout  in  the  middle  of  Indian  Creek 
Rapids,  below  the  bridge  that  was  being  repaired,  read- 
ing a  magazine  and  eating  an  apple,  when  he  galloped 
round  the  curve  of  the  hill  on  a  morning  of  the  follow- 
ing week.  He  splashed  into  the  shallow  ford  and 
stopped  his  horse  at  her  side.  She  looked  up  with  a 
laugh. 

"  So  it  is  you,  Sir  Launcelot  ?  You  materialised  on 
that  other  morning  for  my  especial  benefit,  and  I  am  in 
almost  as  great  need  of  a  rescuer  now  as  I  was  then. 
Do  you  go  about  seeking  forlorn  maidens  ?  " 

"  I  have  never  been  fortunate  in  finding  any  before. 
Have  you  been  here  long?  How  did  it  happen?" 

"  Dandy  hates  to  wet  his  feet  so  bad  that  he  tried  to 
cross  without  stepping  in  the  water.  He  got  the  trap 
into  a  hole,  and  it  frightened  him  a  little,  so  he  just 
plunged  himself  free — hickily  he  broke  loose  before  he 
began  to  run — and  then  he  started  off  like  mad.  I  hope 
that  he  went  home  so  they  will  send  someone  to  look  for 
rne,  yet  it  will  frighten  them  terribly  if  he  did.  I 


90  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

have  been  here  quite  a  while ;  I  never  knew  before  what  a 
solitary  road  this  is." 

Northmore  was  silent  for  a  moment,  puzzling.  She 
looked  up  with  a  laugh.  "  Don't  you  know  what  to  do 
with  me?  " 

"  I  don't  quite  see  how  to  get  you  out  of  there — 
unless — you  can  mount  behind  me.  Can  you  do  that  ?  " 

"  Certainly,  if  your  horse  doesn't  mind." 

" 1  will  go  round  to  the  other  side,  then — here,  give 
me  your  hand — now — jump — so! — there!  Now  we  are 
all  right." 

Mr.  Garnett's  pretty  dapple  grey  pranced  and  snorted 
a  bit  under  the  double  burden,  but  carried  them  safely 
to  the  bank,  which  was  so  steep  that  the  girl  kept  herself 
from  sliding  back  into  the  water  only  by  a  firm  grip  of 
her  rescuer.  When  they  got  ashore  he  insisted  upon 
dismounting  that  she  might  ride  home,  but  she  scorned 
the  suggestion. 

"  No,  indeed.  We  will  go  this  way,  if  you  please ;  I 
want  to  get  there  soon  to  save  father  from  a  fright  if 
I  can — and  we  are  going  to  have  full  credit  for 
the  adventure ;  one  doesn't  often  happen.  Father  wants 
to  meet  you,  anyhow;  do  you  know  that  you  are  the 
greatest  fun  that  ever  happened  to  Mogadonia?  We 
laughed  till  we  cried  over  that  spite  fence  performance. 
It  was  simply  great.  You  can't  know  Mr.  Sims  as 
father  does,  and  he  is  eager  to  meet  the  man  that 
matched  him." 

"  Please  don't !  You  would  spare  me  the  mention  if 
you  knew  how  much  I  am  ashamed  of  it." 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  91 

"  You  have  no  reason  to  be.  It  was  just  right,  and 
it  was  the  only  way  out  of  the  predicament — except  to 
pay  blackmail.  But  I  must  tell  you  about  Saturday. 
I  had  a  ghastly  time  with  my  children.  They  refused 
to  be  happy,  except  the  Irish  family,  who  were  as  de- 
lightful as  the  mother.  The  rest  sat  round  in  speechless 
gloom,  or  stood  on  one  foot  and  sucked  their  thumbs, 
utterly  refusing  to  be  amused  by  any  of  the  entertain- 
ments I  had  for  them.  It  was  shriekingly  funny  to  see 
them  put  through  the  games,  and  I  was  sorry  enough 
to  cry,  too.  They  were  so  positively  wooden  that  they 
were  even  afraid  to  eat.  They  sat  on  the  edge  of  their 
chairs  and  spilled  everything  they  touched.  You  never 
saw  such  a  pitiable  farce  in  your  life.  What  do  you 
suppose  was  the  matter?  " 

"  I  don't  know." 

"  Honestly,  Mr.  Northmore?  You  must  have  an 
opinion." 

"  It  is  possible  that  in  the  democracy  of  a  country 
town  there  is  no  class  of  people  willing  to  be  marked 
objects  of  charity.  I  know  of  nothing  else  that  would 
account  for  their  reluctance." 

"  Then  you  think  it  was  a  tactless  way  to  reach 
them?" 

"  Yes,  rather,  if  you  want  me  to  be  candid." 

"  Do.  No  one  ever  is,  you  know.  I  hadn't  thought 
of  that;  these  must  be  different  from  the  city  poor," 

"  They  are.  Class  lines  are  not  drawn  here  as  in  the 
city." 

"  That  is  true.     Every  American  workingman  holds 


92  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

himself  the  equal  of  any  other  man  in  the  country. 
Now  how  am  I  to  convince  them  that  it  is  not  charity 
in  that  sense?  I  want  to  do  something  for  the  town; 
I  love  it.  I  lived  here  all  my  life  until  I  went  to  college, 
and  now,  when  I  come  back  and  want  to  do — a  few  little 
things  for  my  friends — I  am  shut  out.  Even  the  girls 
I  used  to  know  at  school  have  forgotten  me.  Silence 
Garnett  is  the  only  one  who  has  ever  called  since  I 
returned.  And  it  hurts  me — oh,  so  much!  Now  if 
even  these  poor  foreigners  reject  my  hospitality — I 
must  be  an  ogress  in  a  castle ! " 

"  You  were  away  some  years,  were  you  not  ?  " 

"  Only  five  in  all.  It  is  quite  level  here,  suppose  that 
we  walk  the  rest  of  the  way.  I  can  talk  to  you  better, 
and  I  know  that  you  can  help  me  to  retrieve  my 
failure." 

Northmore  dismounted  and  helped  her  down  and  they 
walked  some  distance  in  silence.  As  they  came  in  sight 
of  the  iron  gates  of  Heathermuir  she  added  with  feel- 
ing, "  I  want  the  girls  to  know — that  I  am  not  changed, 
that  I  would  love  to — make  up  to  them  some  of  the 
things  that  they  don't  have.  Indeed,  I  should  love  to 
make  it  up  to  the  whole  town  if  I  possibly  could — what- 
ever of  privation  they  have.  It  is  a  dreadful  thing  to 
have — more  than  one  can  possibly  use  or  enjoy — and 
feel  that  other  lives  are  barren,  even  of  necessaries !  It 
makes  one  feel  like  a  criminal." 

"  I  see,"  said  Northmore  simply.  He  did  not  know 
what  else  to  say. 

He  was  beginning  to  see  that  the  barrier  between 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  93 

herself  and  her  old  friends  was  far  wider  and  higher  than 
she  suspected. 

The  great  stone  house  into  which  she  led  him 
might  have  been  a  fashionable  club,  a  hotel,  or  even 
a  public  building,  but  he  would  never  have  thought 
it  a  home.  He  followed  her  through  wide  dim  halls, 
past  great  drawing  rooms  which  still  smelled  of  new 
furniture,  and  into  a  long  library  of  unworn  volumes. 
She  seated  him  at  last  in  a  small  music  room  which 
opened  into  a  conservatory.  "  Father  will  soon  come 
up  from  the  office,  and  I  will  call  mother  at  once,"  and 
she  left  him,  to  return  in  a  few  minutes  with  a  stout, 
short  woman  of  noncommittal  eyes  and  colourless  face, 
who  was  gorgeously  attired  in  a  trailing  robe  of  cardinal 
and  white  brocade  velvet.  Her  fat  fingers  were  so  en- 
crusted with  gems  that  she  could  scarcely  bend  the 
knuckles,  while  a  collar  of  pearls  showed  under  the 
laces  of  her  neck.  She  gave  the  minister  her  patron- 
ising finger  tips  and  spoke  with  an  acquired  accent. 
Almost  immediately  the  master  of  the  house  entered 
from  the  grounds  at  the  side,  and  Northmore  saw  face 
to  face  the  man  who  had  already  been  a  factor  in  his 
destiny,  through  sheer  force  of  influence.  He  was  a 
spare,  clean-cut  man,  whose  long  upper  lip  bulged 
slightly  when  his  firm  mouth  was  closed.  He  shook  his 
head  anxiously  at  his  daughter's  spirited  account  of  her 
adventure. 

"  You  mustn't  drive  Dandy  again,"  he  commanded. 
"  I  will  give  orders  that  he  is  not  to  be  hitched  up. 
He  is  only  a  saddle  horse  anyhow." 


94  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

"  He  is  all  right  if  I  don't  have  to  ford  streams  with 
him,"  she  pleaded. 

"  We  don't  know  what  to  do  with  daughteh,"  drawled 
Mrs.  Morgan  to  Northmore.  "  She  weally  is  a  naughty 
child  to  wandeh  off  without  a  gwoom  aw  chaperon  aw 
even  a  footman.  I  am  quite  wohn  out  with  anxiety 
about  heh — she  has  done  so  many  weckless.  things ;  it 
is  so  common  to  dwive  about  the  country  alone  as  if 
she  was  a  vulgah  mahket  woman.  It  looks  so  cheap." 

Miss  Morgan's  sweet  laugh  rang  out  pleasantly  after 
her  mother's  difficult  effort. 

"  It  isn't  safe,  Florida,"  said  her  father. 

"  Well,  you  know,  mother  dear,  that  I  learned  to  ride 
over  these  hills  when  I  was  a  little  tot,  and  we  hadn't 
any  coachman  or  groom,  and  you  were  too  busy  to  go 
with  me.  I  rode  my  pony  to  school  alone  when  I  was 
eight  years  old,  and  I  have  driven  a  span  ever  since  I 
could  hold  the  reins.  Now  that  I  am  a  remarkably 
strong  young  woman,  I  never  know  what  to  do  with 
a  ridiculous  mummy  in  boots  and  buttons  in  these  hills 
where  game  is  scarce.  I  love  to  go  alone — unless  I  have 
real  company.  Now,  father,  you  must  know  that  this 
is  the  man  who  vanquished  Mr.  Sims.  You  said  that 
you  wanted  to  know  him,  and,  presto !  I  produce  him," 
she  laughed. 

Northmore's  face  coloured  under  the  keen  glance  of 
the  other,  but  in  the  enthusiasm  with  which  his  host 
began  a  discussion  of  the  moral  welfare  of  Mogadonia, 
the  unwitting  hurt  was  forgotten.  He  was  surprised 
at  both  the  interest  and  the  knowledge  of  Mr.  Morgan 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  95 

concerning  the  different  churches  of  the  town  and  their 
standing. 

"  I  can't  see  why  all  the  churches  in  that  town  should 
be  in  a  decline,  when  in  all  the  surrounding  towns  they 
are  especially  thriving,"  he  declared.  "  I  am  glad  to 
see  a  fearless  man  in  one  pulpit,  at  least.  You  know 
that  I  am  interested  in  them  all  for  the  town's  sake.  I 
live  just  half  way  between  Mogadonia  and  Bellevue,  and 
I  feel  a  sort  of  responsibility  for  the  welfare  of  both 
places,  in  a  moral  way.  One  trouble  has  been,  the  lack 
of  leaders,  of  any  man  strong  enough  to  start  a  new 
movement.  And  I  can  see  plainly  that  you  are  the  man. 
You  have  already  made  a  hit,  and  you  want  to  follow  it 
up  at  once  with  the  movement  for  a  new  building." 

It  was  between  the  courses  of  an  overelaborate 
luncheon  that  Mr.  Morgan  reached  this  point.  North- 
more,  never  ready  of  speech,  looked  at  his  host  in  silent 
surprise. 

"  You  entirely  overestimate  me,  Mr.  Morgan.  That 
affair  was  the  accident  of  inexperience,  and  not  directly 
my  doing." 

Mr.  Morgan  replied  in  a  tone  of  rebuke  without  lift- 
ing his  eyes  from  his  plate.  "  I  have  known  you  fully 
half  an  hour,  Mr.  Northmore;  too  long  for  me  to  be 
mistaken  in  any  man.  I  know  what  I  am  talking  about." 

"  I  wish  that  I  could  see  a  possibility  of  working  my 
congregation  up  to  enthusiasm  over  any  sort  of  better- 
ment— but  the  outlook  is  discouraging,"  responded 
Northmore  regretfully. 

"  There's  only  one  plan  for  the  moral  betterment  of 


96  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

any  place — to  vitalise  its  churches.  Don't  you  know 
the  Lord's  way  ?  All  along  through  the  Bible,  when  any 
patriarch  went  into  a  new  country  or  started  a  new  en- 
terprise, the  first  thing  he  did,  he  builded  an  altar  to 
the  Lord.  Before  he  engaged  in  his  enterprise  he  laid 
his  offering  on  the  altar.  Now,  our  altar  fires  have 
burned  pretty  low  in  Mogadonia,  and,  as  an  active 
Christian  myself,  I  want  to  help  revive  them.  Bellevue 
took  up  my  offer  with  gratitude,  and  is  building  a  fine 
edifice.  Now,  you  are  the  man  to  begin  the  movement 
in  your  church,  and  the  others  will  follow.  I  am  asked 
to  build  libraries,  and  a  town  hall,  and  a  hospital,  and 
an  orphan  asylum — while  all  the  time  the  place  is  sink- 
ing deeper  in  sin.  It  is  growing  more  Godless  every 
day — but  with  all  other  progress,  no  new  way  of  salva- 
tion has  been  proved.  We  have  to  go  to  Heaven 
through  the  blood  of  Christ,  just  as  our  fathers  did,  and 
I  propose  to  make  that  my  mission — to  help  open  the 
way  to  salvation  in  this  wicked  town — and  others  of  its 
kind.  And  I  want  you  to  start  the  ball." 

Northmore  thought  hard  for  a  moment,  but  his  mind 
did  not  work  quickly. 

"  It  is  such  a  vast  proposition,  and  so  much  is  in- 
volved, that  I  must  have  time  to  think  it  over." 

"  Certainly ;  I  like  you  none  the  less  for  that.  And 
this  is  my  proposition:  Whenever  you  want  to  raise 
thirty  thousand  dollars  for  a  new  church,  I  have  thirty 
more  to  match  it.  You  see  I  am  an  old-fashioned  Chris- 
tian. I  am  not  offering  to  build  a  church-theatre,  or 
restaurant.  When  I  was  a  boy  earning  five  dollars  a 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  97 

week,  I  gave  to  religion  what  my  companions  spent  for 
tobacco  and  drinks.  I've  never  yet  been  rich  enough  to 
buy  a  drink  of  whisky  or  a  deck  of  cards.  I've  never 
gambled,  even  on  a  baseball  game — nor  do  I  even  allow 
hot  meals  to  be  cooked  in  my  house  on  Sunday,  while 
every  servant  is  expected  to  attend  church.  In  return 
the  Lord  has  prospered  me  beyond  all  expectation,  and 
now  I  want  to  do  something  more  for  Him." 

A  picture  that  had  been  a  little  dimmed  during  these, 
few  weeks  sprang  before  Northmore's  eyes  as  this 
matter-of-fact  statement  was  concluded  with  an  air  of 
duty  fulfilled ;  a  hot,  dusty  morning,  a  cot  in  the  sparse 
shade  of  a  tree  by  the  railroad  track,  and  Quiggins* 
earnest  face  as  he  told  his  story.  Could  that  story  be 
true?  There  were  always  two  sides — he  must  reserve 
judgment  until  he  had  heard  the  other.  This  seemed 
the  more  reasonable  because  he  had  never  heard  the 
story  from  another  source.  The  conversation  drifted 
into  another  channel,  which  included  the  daughter,  while 
Mrs.  Morgan  assisted  with  an  occasional  irrelevant  re- 
mark. Northmore  wondered  if  her  husband  had  found 
her  a  comforting  sedative  to  his  nervous  alertness.  And 
the  daughter? 

He  climbed  with  her  to  a  rustic  summer  house  at  the 
top  of  the  hill  to  see  what  she  told  him  was  the  finest 
view  in  the  country.  It  was  an  impressionist  day — a 
day  of  purples,  with  scarlet  and  cloth  of  gold  shimmer- 
ing through  the  haze  that  veiled  the  opposite  hills,  and  a 
breath  of  May  softly  stirring  the  leaves  overhead.  Be- 
low stretched  the  valley,  marked  with  white  farmhouses 


98  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

among  the  emerald  of  wheatfields  and  the  warm  umber 
of  garnered  corn.  Lacey  white  bridges  spanned  the 
stream  here  and  there,  the  farthest  one  showing  the 
break  that  had  caused  their  adventure.  He  swept  the 
landscape  slowly  with  his  eyes,  and  back  again,  seeing 
nothing  in  it  but  the  girl  at  his  side,  in  a  spell  that  he 
was  unable  to  conquer. 

"  Of  all  the  places  in  the  world,  this  is  the  one  that  I 
love  best,"  she  said  when  he  did  not  break  the  silence. 
"  I  bring  my  books  up  here,  and  I  sometimes  try  to 
sketch  it — but  I  have  never  succeeded.  It  is  like  a  dear 
familiar  face — you  can  never  get  the  soul  into  it." 

He  turned  away  from  the  pearl  and  opal  clouds  ly- 
ing soft  against  the  blue  fire  of  the  sky,  of  which  he 
seemed  to  be  a  part  for  the  moment,  to  the  girl  who  de- 
lighted in  the  rare  pageant,  looking  at  it  with  lips  apart 
and  tender  eyes  aglow,  in  vivid,  radiant  beauty,  a  glori- 
ous young  priestess  in  her  temple.  He  allowed  himself 
but  a  glance  at  the  expectant,  uplifted  face,  then  turned 
dizzily  back  to  the  landscape. 

"  It  is  a  fine  view,"  he  said  flatly. 

She  stepped  back  in  disappointment.  It  was  the 
first  time  he  had  failed  her  expectation.  He  looked  so 
long  without  speaking  that  she  laughed  softly :  "  You 
do  love  it,  after  all.  I  was  quite  disgusted  that  you 
didn't  at  first." 

"  I  have  loved  these  hills  from  the  first  day — and 
this  is  the  most  wonderful  spot  of  all." 

"  Oh,  Mr.  Northmore,"  she  cried  with  sudden  remem- 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  99 

brance,  "  tell  me  something  I  want  to  know.  Is  Birdie 
Garnett  going  to  marry  Mr.  Firestone?  " 

"  Ask  me  something  easy.  I  am  not  in  Miss  Garnett's 
confidence." 

"  Does  he  come  to  see  her?  " 

"  Quite  often.  Yes." 

"  And  you  allow  that  ?  Outrageous !  She's  the  sweet- 
est thing.  Why,  what  have  you  been  doing  all  these 
weeks  that  you  have  been  in  the  house?  You  must 
marry  her  yourself,  to  save  her  from  him — it  is  your 
plain  duty.  You  know  her  mother  would  give  her  a 
living  sacrifice  to  missions — or  anything  in  the  church 
— and  Mr.  Firestone  took  the  brightest  girl  from  this 
town  once,  to  die  in  Africa,  and  that  is  enough." 

"  Mr.  Firestone  is  a  thoroughly  sincere  man." 

"  They  make  the  worst  husbands  of  all.  Now  prom- 
ise that  you  will  go  right  home  and  make  love  to  her  in 
earnest.  I  sha'n't  have  a  minute's  peace  till  I  know 
that  she  is  safe.  It's  between  you  and  Mr.  Firestone, 
for  Silence  is  foreordained  to  be  a  minister's  wife — and 
once  you  two  are  married  we  should  all  be  such  friends ; 
we  should  work  together  building  a  creche — or  some- 
thing else  for  poor  children.  Now,  please !  " 

"  You  are  presuming  a  good  deal  upon  my  self-es- 
teem— to  intimate  that  I  might  rival  Mr.  Firestone. 
Why  don't  you  go  for  Miss  Garnett  ?  " 

"  She  might  think  I  wanted  to  marry  him  myself. 
Now  you  are  unkind.  I  had  begun  to  like  you  immensely 
— and  the  first  little  favour  I  ask,  you  refuse !  " 


100  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

"  It  wouldn't  work.  My  eyes  are  the  wrong  colour — 
as  the  story  books  go." 

"  Then  you  might  at  least  divert  her  with  a  little 
flirtation — until  he  is  switched  off.  She  would  refuse 
you — and  nobody  would  be  harmed.  Joking  aside,  Mr. 
Northmore,  I  am  awfully  worried  about  that — and  it 
must  not  be  allowed !  If  you  won't  be  accommodating 
— as  a  man — you  must  make  it  your  duty  as  a  minister 
to  talk  a  little — to  somebody — give  a  little  good  advice. 
Now,"  she  commanded,  "  sit  down  by  the  door  where 
you  can  see  that  mountain  of  pink  cloud  over  the  top 
of  Whiteface,  and  I  will  make  you  a  cup  of  tea." 

She  had  taken  out  her  tea  things  from  a  pretty  cabi- 
net before  he  could  protest,  and  he  lingered  for  a  sec- 
ond cup,  knowing  every  moment  that  he  must  not  stay 
in  that  presence.  Afterward  he  led  her  down  the  nar- 
row path,  her  soft  firm  hand  clinging  to  his  over  the 
steep  places,  and  they  waited  together  in  the  porte- 
cochere  for  the  dapple  grey  to  be  brought.  As  North- 
more  sprang  into  the  saddle  she  cried,  "  Now,  gallant 
Sir  Knight,  rescue  my  hapless  maiden  from  Africa  or 
you  shall  never  wear  my  colours.  And  you've  no  time 
to  lose." 

He  turned  back  at  the  curve  of  the  drive  to  lift  his 
hat  once  more  and  carry  away  the  picture  of  her — in 
relief  against  the  grey  column,  then  he  rode  between 
the  big  gateposts  into  the  valley  of  enchantment  where 
he  knew  not  whether  Polly  were  treading  clouds  of  rose 
and  pearl  or  a  glorified  earth.  Every  nerve  thrilled 
with  a  new  exhilaration;  he  still  felt  a  lightly  clinging 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  101 

arm  under  his  and  the  electric  touch  of  a  hand  within 
his  own.  In  his  ascetic  life  he  had  never  before  known 
a  woman  like  this  one — but  was  there  another?  Within 
the  little  span  of  a  day  revolution  had  come  to  him. 
The  magic  of  wealth  had  offered  to  turn  his  shame  and 
failure  into  success — while  undreamed-of  eyes  had 
looked  into  his  and  set  his  senses  reeling. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

IT  was  too  late  to  fulfil  the  mission  upon  which  he  had 
set  forth  in  the  morning,  and  Northmore  had  to  post- 
pone it  until  the  next  afternoon,  when  he  again  set 
forth  on  horseback  among  the  hills.  He  was  returning 
toward  evening  through  a  pass  whose  interlocked 
branches  were  so  thick  that  he  did  not  see  the  darkening 
sky  until  big  drops  rattled  upon  the  fallen  leaves.  A 
short  deflection  over  a  road  of  talus  rock  led  him  to 
the  shed  of  a  stone  quarry  for  shelter,  where  he  was 
surprised  to  find  his  early  acquaintance,  Quiggins,  as 
foreman.  He  was  not  yet  strong  enough  for  active 
labour,  but  had  been  glad  to  take  back  what  he  told 
Northmore  was  his  former  job. 

"  I  vowed  I  never  would  work  for  Tom  Morgan  agin 
— you  remember  what  I  told  you  about  him  the  first  day 
I  saw  you — before  I  dreamed  that  you  was  a  preacher?  " 

"  I  haven't  forgotten  it." 

"  It  was  too  bad  you  took  advantage  of  me  that  way 
— but  I  guess  you've  got  some  human  nature  in  spite 
of  your  job!  And  it  was  true — all  that  I  told  you. 
Have  you  found  that  out  yet?" 

"  I  have  been  compelled  to  accept  some  of  your  phi- 
losophy." Northmore  had  drawn  Polly  into  the  shelter 
and  seated  himself  upon  the  inverted  keg  which  was 
offered.  "  I  hope  that  you  are  misinformed — or  preju- 

103 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  103 

diced — about — your  employer.  I  have  met  him — and 
he  certainly  is  interested  in  doing  good.  It  is  a  close 
question — I  can't  yet  decide — whether  to  take  the  re- 
sponsibility of  choosing  those  who  shall  further  the 
work  of  the  church.  None  of  us  is  infallible." 

"  Wait  till  you  find  out.  I  told  you  he  was  as  slick 
as  butter.  You've  already  done  up  one  man — that  was 
the  best  thing  ever  happened  in  this  town.  You're  no 
common  preacher — that's  plain — and  if  you  have  the 
sand  to  stick  to  your  colours — well,  I  don't  s'pose  you'll 
make  any  money  out  of  it,  nor  any  glory,  but  a  few 
common  people  will  know  that  you're  both  sensible  and 
honest.  Not  every  minister  gets  to  know  that  other 
side,  you  see." 

"  I  appreciate  that — but  Mr.  Morgan  has  a  side  as 
well.  It  is  not  fair  to  be  prejudiced  either  way." 

"  Well,  you  found  out  that  I  told  you  the  truth  about 
'Lije  Sims.  He  lowered  your  whole  church  to  his  level. 
He  was  your  weakest  link — as  long  as  you  stood  by  him. 
Now,  you've  gone  up  fifty  per  cent,  for  kickin'  him  out. 
You  watch  and  see  the  kind  of  people  that  comes  to  hear 
you  now!  You'll  get  them  that  was  never  inside  that 
church  before.  It  ain't  so  much  what's  preached  that 
my  kind  of  people  cares  for,  it's  what's  lived.  We 
ain't  such  fools  as  we're  taken  to  be.  Know  Proctor 
Garnett  yet?  " 

"  Yes,  very  well." 

"  There's  a  man  that's  believed  in.  If  Proctor  Gar- 
nett should  found  a  church  or  an  institution  or  a  lodge 
— or  want  an  office,  every  workin'  man  in  Jefferson 


104  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

County  would  be  at  his  heels.  And  he  don't  profess 
nothing." 

"  I  see  what  you  mean,"  said  Northmore  gravely. 
"  It's  a  tremendous  task — to  make  over  human  nature 
on  a  model  of  that  kind.  I  don't  see  any  light  on  the 
subject." 

The  rain  had  settled  into  a  steady  downpour  and  he 
left  as  it  was  growing  dark  and  plodded  homeward 
through  slippery  mud.  Soaked  to  the  flesh  and  stunned 
in  spirit,  he  left  Polly  at  the  stable  and  walked  through 
the  sodden  garden  where  in  the  morning  he  had  helped 
Silence  to  gather  great  bunches  of  chrysanthemums  and 
late  roses.  Then  it  had  been  gay  with  blossoms,  now  a 
few  rain-pelted  flowers  hung  upside  down  where  russet 
and  umber  prevailed.  He  had  barely  time  to  change  to 
dry  clothing  before  the  supper  bell  rang,  and  its  pleas- 
ant sound  reminded  him  that  he  had  but  a  few  days 
more  in  this  peaceful  house  which  had  been  so  kind  a 
home  to  him,  as  the  little  quarters  at  Mrs.  Jernigan's 
were  nearly  ready.  The  sitting-room  looked  more  at- 
tractive than  ever  that  stormy  evening,  with  its  beauti- 
ful fire  tinting  the  faces  around  it  and  drawing  out  fra- 
grance from  the  roses  and  pungent  bitterness  from  the 
chrysanthemums.  Northmore  did  not  feel  like  talking, 
and  took  refuge  in  a  book.  Not  for  long,  however,  for 
the  few  minutes  at  the  quarry  had  brought  back  with 
new  force  the  story  that  Quiggins  had  first  told  him,  and 
he  went  up  to  his  room  to  seek  anchorage  in  the  tumult 
of  new  experience  which  the  last  few  days  had  precipi- 
tated. He  smiled  bitterly,  putting  on  his  slippers  before 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  105 

his  own  fire,  to  think  that  he  had  been  so  shaken  by  the 
opinions  of  a  man  who  had  probably  never  read  one 
thoughtful  book  in  his  whole  life.  That  there  was  truth 
in  Quiggins'  point  of  view  was  the  sting  of  it.  He  who 
was  to  lead  others  to  Truth,  was  in  doubt  himself.  But, 
once  alone,  in  deep  thought  before  his  fire,  his  hands 
locked  behind  his  head,  reactive  conviction  asserted  it- 
self, and  he  was  candidly  and  fearlessly  analysing  his 
relation  to  the  complex  forces  which  bore  upon  him 
when  a  tap  on  the  door  announced  Mr.  Garnett. 

"  I  am  glad  to  find  you  at  leisure,  for  I  want  to  take 
up  a  little  of  your  time.  I  would  like  some  help,"  he 
apologised,  seating  himself  by  the  table  and  spreading 
out  a  roll  of  blue  prints. 

"  I  am  never  too  busy  to  give  you  any  help  in  my 
power,  Mr.  Garnett,"  replied  the  young  man,  trying  to 
summon  attention. 

"  Thank  you.  I've  had  a  sort  of  plan  in  mind  for 
years — I  mentioned  it  the  other  day,  if  you  remember — 
and  the  interest  you've  shown  in  my  ideas  has  led  me 
to  think  that  you  could  help  me  to  perfect  this.  I  want 
to  do  one  thing  more  for  my  men  over  there — or  rather 
for  the  families — and  it  ought  to  be  done  now.  Many 
of  the  children  have  grown  to  an  age  when  they  need 
something  that  their  parents  can't  give — nor  their 
schools.  We  don't  like  to  own  it — but  Mogadonia  has 
a  bad  reputation  in  the  vicinity ;  you've  noticed  how  few 
representative  young  people  there  are.  The  better  set 
of  them  get  out  and  go  to  the  city  as  soon  as  they  are 
able  to.  Those  that  are  left  are  what  we  call  in  business, 


106  'ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

the  *  seconds,'  the  *  culls,'  you  know ;  those  with  a  flaw, 
and  they  go  to  the  bad  pretty  fast.  A  very  nice  man, 
one  of  my  decorators,  was  talking  to  me  to-day  with 
tears  in  his  eyes  about  his  children.  It  made  me  feel  re- 
sponsible for  not  having  given  some  assistance  to  the 
parents  before,  but  I  didn't  know  just  how  to  develop 
my  scheme." 

"What  is  your  idea?" 

"  A  place  to  supplement  the  little  homes.  There  is 
nothing  now  in  the  way  of  innocent  amusement — or  edu- 
cational pastime ;  there  was  a  so-called  '  opera  house ' 
here  until  it  burned  down  last  spring — an  old  tobacco 
house  furbished  up,  yet  people  used  to  stand  in  line  half 
the  night  before  the  ticket  window  to  get  a  chance  in 
the  morning,  and  in  this  country  town  three  and  four 
dollars  a  seat  has  been  paid  for  a  poor  entertainment. 
That's  what  suggested  the  idea.  The  only  place  where 
a  concert  or  lecture  can  be  given  is  Joe  Fury's  dance 
hall — and  you  know  what  that  is.  We  haven't  even  a 
circulating  library." 

"  And  our  churches  are  the  worst  of  all,"  suggested 
Northmore. 

"  They  are  pretty  bad,  but  even  good  ones  would  not 
fill  this  place." 

"  Not  a  modern  institutional  church  ?  " 

"  No,  not  to  those  outside  its  own  membership — and 
not  altogether  to  those  inside.  I  will  answer  your 
objection  before  you  make  it;  it  would  not  compete 
with  church  influence  enough  to  be  considered,  and 
would  be  such  a  moral  factor  that  it  would  strengthen 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  107 

you  in  a  general  way.  The  parents  would  not  be  drawn 
away  from  church,  and  the  children  are  growing  up 
with  so  much  larger  requirements  than  the  parents  had, 
that  they  will  go  outside  for  fulfilment — and  it  is  this 
need  I  anticipate.  The  children  of  my  artisans  will 
not  be  artisans  in  their  generation;  it  k  training  for 
those  faculties  which  have  already  outgrown  the  parents' 
capacity  that  I  want  to  provide.  It  must  be  an  insti- 
tution that  will  first  attract,  then  elevate  and  educate 
them  unconsciously  above  the  reach  of  the  low  tempta- 
tions to  which  they  now  fall  prey,  and  which  will  help  to 
keep  the  '  firsts  '  at  home.  There  is  but  one  place  where 
the  young  men  can  gather,  the  saloon,  the  poor  man's 
club  and  the  devil's  parlour.  Now  I  want  to  devise  a 
social  club  that  will  have  more  than  the  freedom  of  the 
home,  besides  the  uplift  of  an  educational  institution." 

"  That  is  what  the  church  should  be." 

"  Not  in  this  town ;  it  would  be  impossible ;  it  is  locked 
for  six  days  and  four  evenings  a  week — while  there  are 
rows  of  bright  places  that  are  open.  My  club  would  be 
their  rival  and  the  ally  of  your  church.  You  can  help 
me  and  help  your  own  cause  indirectly." 

"  What  amusements  would  you  have  ?  " 

"  All  that  are  innocent."  Mr.  Garnett  pushed  his 
blue  prints  toward  Northmore.  "  This  is  my  audience 
room — which  must  also  be  open  to  any  religious  denom- 
ination for  services.  There  are  a  few  Episcopalians  in 
town  who  have  no  meeting  place,  also  a  few  Jews  and 
Universalists." 

Northmore  lifted  his  eyes  to  the  other  man  in  sur- 


108  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

prise.  "  You  are  not  a  member  of  any  demoination 
yourself,  I  think?" 

"  Yes,  I  was  brought  up  a  Quaker,  but  we  have  no 
church  here.  But  we  are  all  soon  to  be  members  of  the 
great  universal  church;  we  can  worship  together  now." 

"  Yes,"  said  Northmore  with  yet  larger  respect  for 
this  man.  "  These,  then,  are  the  plans  for  such  a  build- 
ing as  you  have  suggested?  " 

"  No,  they  are  not.  I  tried  to  tell  a  Pittsburgh 
architect  what  I  wanted,  but  he  didn't  get  the  idea  at 
all.  You  can  get  the  suggestion  from  this,  however." 

Northmore  concentrated  his  attention  upon  the 
scheme  and,  with  a  little  elucidation,  saw  its  points  at 
once ;  his  first  comment  was  so  intelligent  that  Mr.  Gar- 
nett  seized  upon  it  eagerly. 

"  You've  got  it !  I  was  sure  you  would.  I've  had 
no  one  to  consult.  My  wife  has  her  own  line  of  in- 
terests, you  know,  and  my  daughter — well,  a  daughter 
is  not  a  son.  It  is  quite  natural  for  her  to  follow  her 
mother's  example — and  it  is  right.  That's  one  reason 
why  I  want  to  carry  out  my  plans  while  I  am  in  the 
prime  of  life;  there  will  be  no  one  to  do  it  after  I  am 
gone." 

"  Have  you  never  talked  this  over  with  your 
daughter?  " 

"  Not  in  detail,  no.  To  tell  the  truth,  I  don't  think 
she  would  understand ;  she  is  constantly  with  her  mother 
— as  she  should  be,  of  course — and — I  did  not  want  to 
appear  to  be  diverting  her  from  her  mother's  religious 
views.  She  is  reserved  and  sensitive — I  wish  that  I 
might  have  her  confidence — I  wonder  sometimes  if  even 


ALTARS   TO    MAMMON  109 

her  mother  really  has  it.  She  might  care  very  much  for 
such  an  interest  as  this.  She  will  probably,  however, 
follow  her  mother's  example,  and  devote  herself  wholly 
to  the  church." 

"  I  have  wondered  what  her  fulfilment  would  be.  I 
have  feared — a  little,  that " 

"  So  have  I,"  and  Mr.  Garnett  looked  away  from  his 
plans  in  tense  anxiety.  "  I  don't  know  what  to  do  about 
that — not  being  in  her  confidence,  and  not  having  the 
same  ideas  of  duty  that  my  wife  has.  I  don't  want  to 
interfere  with  either  her  convictions  or  her  affections — 
but— she  is  all  I  have,  Mr.  Northmore,  and  you  see  how 
delicate  she  is.  I  don't  know — what  to  do  about  it," 
and  he  looked  wistfully  into  Northmore's  eyes  with  the 
weakness  of  deep  tenderness  in  an  armour  of  strength. 

"  I  think  that  the  strain  of  such  an  abnormal  life 
would  mean  simple  martyrdom  to  Miss  Garnett,"  re- 
turned Northmore  frankly. 

"Do  you?  And  you  think  I  should  be  justified  in 
interfering?  " 

"  If  you  think  that  is  true,  I  don't  see  how  you  can 
help  it." 

"I  am  glad  to  know  that  you  think  so — immensely 
glad!" 

He  looked  into  the  fire,  abstracted,  for  a  few  minutes, 
while  Northmore  studied  the  blue  prints,  and  then  they 
went  through  them  together,  discussing  details,  chang- 
ing and  amplifying,  until  midnight,  when  they  parted, 
Mr.  Garnett  in  deep  satisfaction  at  the  help  he  had 
obtained  upon  two  dearest  objects. 

"  Now,  I  am  going  to  work  immediately — j  ust  as  soon 


110  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

as  I  can  get  these  new  plans  and  specifications  drawn," 
he  announced  as  he  gathered  up  his  papers.  "  There 
are  a  few  people  in  the  town  who  will  enter  into  the 
project,  and  my  own  men  will  take  it  up  almost  unani- 
mously. I  don't  believe  in  letting  them  think  they  are 
not  doing  it  themselves,  you  know.  I  can  put  ten 
thousand  dollars  into  it — and  they  must  do  the  rest. 
You  have  helped  me  more  than  you  know — and  I  ap- 
preciate it.  Good-night." 

A  few  days  later  Northmore  submitted  Mr.  Morgan's 
proposition  to  the  official  board  of  his  church,  where  it 
elicited  such  diverse  opinions  that  no  conclusion  was 
reached  and  the  question  was  held  over.  Most  of  those 
present  thought  the  amount  too  large  for  the  little 
church  to  raise.  Others  felt  that  the  offer  was  so  munifi- 
cent that  it  should  be  accepted  at  all  odds,  and  cited 
the  success  of  the  Bellevue  church  in  raising  the  same 
amount.  No  other  consideration  was  discussed.  A  few 
days  later,  Mr.  Morgan  sent  for  Northmore  to  know 
whether  an  agreement  had  been  reached,  and  was  told  of 
the  situation.  He  had  evidently  expected  it,  and  asked 
who  had  stood  for,  and  who  against  it. 

"  It  is  all  we  could  expect  at  first,"  he  remarked. 
"  It  frightens  them  usually,  and  then  they  come  to  it. 
It  will  need  your  influence  in  this  case  because  they  are 
so  conservative — but  you  can  bring  them  to  it.  No 
church  has  ever  yet  turned  down  my  offer.  They  may 
take  as  long  to  decide  as  they  want." 

"  Is  the  amount  you  offer  also  flexible,  Mr.  Morgan  ?  " 

**  No.     My  object  in  making  the  offer  is  to  bring  the 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  111 

churches  of  this  town  up  to  the  standard  of  fifty  years 
hence.  I  will  not  help  to  build  a  cheap  church.  And 
it  is  to  the  advantage  of  the  congregation;  the  more 
they  raise,  the  more  they  get  for  nothing,  you  see,  and 
they  will  make  the  effort  and  be  proud  of  it  in  the  end. 
I  hear  that  you  had  a  crowded  house  again  last  Sunday. 
Now  is  your  opportunity — and  you  can  raise  a  monu- 
ment to  yourself  that  will  be  .of  great  advantage  in  your 
career." 

Northmore  did  not  answer,  and  his  host  gave  him  a 
quick  scrutiny  as  though  wondering  at  his  lack  of  en- 
thusiasm. Miss  Morgan  chanced  in  at  the  office  while 
Northmore  was  still  there,  and  was  surprised — and 
pleased — to  see  him. 

"  Won't  you  come  up  to  the  house  and  help  me  with 
a  problem,  Mr.  Northmore  ? "  she  begged  seriously. 
When  they  were  outside  in  -the  grounds,  she  explained : 
"  I  simply  have  to  do  something  to  efface  that  dreadful 
day  of  failure.  It  must  be  wiped  entirely  out  with  a 
success ;  it  will  torment  me  until  it  is.  What  shall  the 
eraser  of  it  be  ?  " 

"  What  are  the  possibilities  ?  " 

"  The  largest  possibility  is  my  college  chum  who  is 
coming  next  week,  and  who  is  the  most  wonderful  success 
at  this  sort  of  thing.  She  goes  in  for  college  settle- 
ment work  and  the  like.  She  gave  me  the  idea  for  the 
other  exploit — but  she  had  succeeded  with  city  children, 
and,  as  you  say,  they  are  different.  Have  we  no  claim 
on  these  ?  " 

"  If  we  have  not,  some  of  us  are  wasting  our  lives." 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

"Surely.  It  isn't  worth  while  to  keep  only  Chris- 
tians in  the  strait  and  narrow  path — to  be  a  literal 
shepherd  of  one's  own  flock.  There  are  the  two  kinds 
of  pastors,  you  know,  and  I  believe  that  you  are  the 
sort  that  goes  into  highways  and  byways." 

"  But  not  to  the  neglect  of  my  legitimate  work,  I 
hope." 

**  Oh,  no.  Father  thinks  that  of  you,  too,  and  he 
approves  of  it.  Father  is  so  good ;  you  don't  know  him 
yet.  He  is  more  than  kind  to  us,  and  he  almost  gives 
his  life,  now  that  he  is  removed  from  business  cares,  to 
doing  good  for  others  and  in  philanthropy.  He  en- 
courages me  in  that  mission,  too.  Think  of  it — I  can 
have  unlimited  money  with  which  to  do  good — and  I 
can't  find  any  to  do !  " 

"  That  is  a  dreadful  state  of  affairs.  We  will  find 
a  remedy  for  it  at  once." 

"  Yes,  you  must.  Of  course,  I  don't  need  to  say  that 
I  want  to  do  real  good — not  simply  to  rid  myself  of 
responsibility  by  indiscriminate  almsgiving.  Bring 
Bird  Garnett  out  to  dinner  to  meet  Olive  Drysdale,  my 
friend,  who  is  coming  next  Thursday,  and  if  you  have 
a  suggestion  by  that  time,  we  will  find  Olive  the  cleverest 
manager  in  the  world.  She  has  wonderful  executive 
ability,  and  will  enjoy  it,  too,  which  is  fortunate,  as 
that  is  almost  the  only  entertainment  I  can  offer  her. 
Can  you  come  out  on  Friday? — well — then,  Saturday? 
And  we  will  set  things  spinning  then.  One  thing  more, 
Mr.  Northmore;  who  is  ahead  in  the  wooing,  you  or 
Mr.  Firestone?" 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  113 

"  I  haven't  the  ghost  of  a  chance.  Mr.  Firestone  is 
a  cyclonic  wooer." 

"  I  am  afraid  that's  not  a  joke.  You  are  not  going 
to  let  that  go  on  without  a  protest,  are  you  ?  " 

"  It  is  a  very  delicate  question,  but  I  have  already 
expressed  my  opinion  to  Mr.  Firestone  himself,  since 
you  ask." 

"  I  ask  because  I  am  worried — and  I  am  glad  to  know 
that  you  are  alert.  Won't  you  come  in  ?  "  They  had 
reached  the  house  and  Northmore  knew  that  he  must  go, 
yet  he  yielded  to  the  spell  on  which  he  drifted  helplessly 
into  the  pretty  music  room.  He  never  could  remember 
how  long  he  stayed,  nor  what  they  talked  about,  but  late 
in  the  afternoon  he  found  himself  riding  home  through 
the  valley  of  Paradise,  under  a  witchery  that  leaped  in 
his  blood  and  dazed  his  brain  with  magic  so  dangerously 
sweet  that  he  was  powerless  to  dispel  it.  For  the  first 
time  in  his  lonely  life,  he  had  talked  with  one  who  under- 
stood him,  even  without  words,  who  looked  at  him  with 
frank,  unconscious  eyes,  and  saw  his  very  soul,  its 
nobility,  its  human  weakness,  and  who  sympathised. 
All  else  in  his  life  was  dwindling  into  insignificance  be- 
side his  longing  to  be  in  her  presence.  The  days  until 
Saturday,  when  he  should  see  her  again,  lay  blank  before 
him.  That  there  must  be  an  awakening,  he  would  not 
now  consider;  he  held  no  future  anguish  in  the  balance 
against  the  delight  of  the  day.  He  could  not  work 
that  evening,  but  dreamed  late  by  his  friendly  fire,  that 
pleasant  confidante  which  tells  none  of  the  secrets  en- 
trusted to  it.  He  completed  his  week's  work  on  Friday 


114  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

night,  that  he  might  have  the  following  day  clear,  and 
retired  late.  It  seemed  to  him  that  he  had  not  slept 
many  minutes  before  he  was  awakened  by  a  sharp 
knocking,  and  Mr.  Garnett's  voice  at  the  door.  He 
said  that  Northmore  was  sent  for  to  go  to  a  dying  man ; 
would  he  go? 

"Certainly.     Who  is  it?" 

"  A  poor  fellow  whom  you  don't  know ;  a  man  named 
Ellis,  who  lives  over  on  the  spur." 

"  I  will  go  at  once.  I  know  where  it  is,"  answered  the 
minister,  rousing  himself  to  this  first  call  for  his  holy 
office  to  the  dying.  A  boy  was  waiting  for  him  in  the 
hall,  and  he  hurried  away  as  soon  as  he  could  dress. 
The  boy  told  him  on  the  way  across -the  town  that  Mr. 
Ellis  had  been  no  worse  than  usual  until  the  previous 
morning,  when  he  had  fallen  in  a  fainting  fit  and  the 
doctor  had  said  that  he  was  dying.  It  was  with  a 
curious  dread  that  the  minister  entered  the  dim  room  in 
the  solemn  hour  of  the  night  and  crossed  to  the  bed. 
It  appeared  that  an  internal  fire,  rather  than  disease, 
had  burned  out  the  man's  vital  forces,  for  the  skin 
drawn  over  his  corded  hands  and  hollow  features  was 
white  and  firm,  while  the  clear  eyes  were  not  dimmed  by 
age.  A  neighbour  who  sat  by  the  bed  leaned  over  as 
Northmore  entered  and  laid  her  hand  upon  the  invalid's. 

"  I  sent  Bob  for  the  preacher  that  came  to  see  you  one 
day,  Mr.  Ellis,  and  he's  here.  I  thought  you'd  like  to 
talk  to  him,"  she  said. 

The  wild  eyes  turned  to  Northmore.  "  What  do  I 
want  of  him?  " 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  115 

"  Why,  you're  sick — and  he'd  been  to  see  you — and  I 
thought " 

"  Then  I'm  going  to  die— at  last !  " 

"  I  didn't  say  that — but — perhaps  he  can  cheer  you 
up  a  little." 

"  I  don't  want  the  minister.  I've  had  enough.  What 
could  he  do  for  me  now?  " 

Words  seemed  impossible  to  Northmore.  "  I  hope 
that  you  will  find  peace,"  he  faltered.  "  Death  loses  its 
terrors " 

The  gleaming  eyes  fastened  upon  him,  while  he  felt 
himself  shrivel  under  their  uncanny  gaze,  as  life  flashed 
back  into  the  pallid  face. 

"  No,  I  want  nothing  of  you.  I  know  nothing  of 
Christ.  I've  had  my  hell  in  this  world — if  there's  one 
to  come,  I'll  take  it !  Death  has  no  terrors — it's  a 
blessing.  Take  your  consolation  to  the  man  who 
robbed  me  of  my  life — who  burned  me  with  slow  fire — 
he'll  want  it,  for  he's  a  Christian  of  Christians.  He's  on 
the  high  road  to  Heaven  with  my  ruin  and  my  child 
on  his  soul.  Don't  you  think  I  want  to  go  to  hell — 
where  he  won't  be?  Do  you  want  to  drag  me  into 
Heaven  to  see  him  rejoice  through  eternity,  too?  I've 
had  enough  of  that  here ! " 

He  had  risen  in  the  bed  and  swayed  with  weakness 
while  he  screamed  in  his  broken  voice.  Northmore 
sprang  to  his  support,  but  was  pushed  away. 

"  Go  and  make  Tom  Morgan's  peace  with  God  and 
let  me  alone.  I  never  harmed  a  living  thing.  I  never 
robbed  a  man  of  one  cent.  But  I  am  lost !  You  come 


116  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

to  tell  me  that  I  haven't  had  hell  enough  here !  I've  had 
to  see  him  prosper.  My  pretty  girl  was  murdered — to 
make  a  princess  of  his.  He  builds  churches — churches! 
— and  God  doesn't  strike  them  by  lightning !  He  prays 
in  them — that  robber — and  talks  to  sinners !  He  has 
enough  to  eat — paid  for  with  my  money — mine,  mme, 
mine!  What  do  you  think  my  wife  and  I  have  eaten 
this  week?  Hard  bread  and  potatoes!  Oh,  don't  talk 
of  Morgan's  God  to  me !  " 

"  But,  God  is  just ;  wait  for " 

Ellis  had  fallen  back  with  staring  eyes.  The  terri- 
fied woman  who  had  shrunk  back  at  his  raving,  caught 
him  in  her  arms  as  he  gasped  for  breath.  Northmore 
laid  him  gently  back  on  his  pillow  and  drew  the  sheet 
over  the  distorted  face  when  he  found  that  life  had  left. 

He  stayed  at  the  house  until  he  had  done  all  that  was 
possible  for  the  bedridden  wife  in  the  next  room,  and 
went  away  to  arrange  for  a  decent  burial,  at  which  he 
would  officiate.  The  frosty  dawn  was  reddening  over 
Blue  Mountain  as  he  walked  down  the  spur,  not  quite 
steadily,  and  turned  into  a  country  road  that  led  from 
the  town.  He  must  be  alone  in  this  rude  awakening  of 
his  soul.  Two  hours  later  he  stopped  at  a  farmhouse, 
faint  with  exhaustion,  and  bought  a  cup  of  coffee.  He 
found  Mr.  Garnett  in  great  alarm,  on  the  point  of  send- 
ing out  a  search  for  him,  when  he  finally  returned  to  the 
house. 


CHAPTER    IX 

NORTHMORE  never  had  any  recollection  of  the  physical 
history  of  the  day  which  followed;  he  knew  at  night 
only  that  he  was  stunned  by  the  shock  of  two  vital  forces 
whose  unexpectedness  had  made  the  encounter  doubly 
hard.  He  was  a  clear-headed  fellow,  whose  merciless 
honesty  of  self-analysis  left  him  small  illusion,  even  in 
his  enthusiasms.  That  a  moral  issue  could  entangle 
itself  in  the  generous  offer  made  so  opportunely  for  his 
work  was  an  undreamed-of  possibility,  but,  while  he 
reserved  judgment  until  he  had  heard  Mr.  Morgan's 
side  of  the  story,  it  was  quite  apparent  that  the  moral 
issue  involved  would  come  within  his  jurisdiction,  and  he 
would  have  to  define  his  position  to  himself.  For  the 
other  thing  he  was  totally  unprepared.  An  unfortunate 
fancy  of  his  boyhood  had  convinced  him  with  the 
absoluteness  of  youth  that  he  was  quite  through  with 
Love  and  was  wedded  to  his  work.  The  revelation  of 
the  past  week  was  enough  to  show  him  that  he  had 
never  yet  touched  hands  with  Love;  that  he  was  upon 
the  edge  of  a  passion  which  would  be  the  wreck  of  him 
if  he  could  not  break  its  spell  at  once.  He  knew  per- 
fectly the  folly  of  it.  He  contrasted  the  rugged  face 
which  looked  back  from  his  mirror,  with  the  brilliant 
girlish  beauty  of  the  one  that  haunted  him ;  he  measured 
her  fortune  beside  his  poverty ;  he  thought  of  her  free 
life  against  his  self-immolation  upon  the  altar  of 

117 


118  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

obscurity.  Because  of  these  things,  it  had  been  easy  to 
resolve  that  it  should  be  an  altar  of  celibacy  as  well. 
He  smiled  bitterly  at  his  own  presumption  in  daring  to 
think  of  her.  He  had  no  mercy  for  men  of  his  calling 
who  exacted  the  sacrifice  of  their  families  to  hardship. 
No!  He  was  glad — and  a  bit  proud  of  himself — that 
he  could  look  his  danger  in  the  face ;  he  would  tear  out 
every  tendril  of  this  new  passion,  summoning  his  man- 
hood to  the  rescue,  and  his  wild  folly  should  never  be 
suspected.  With  this  stern  resolve,  he  made  a  careful 
toilet  and  drove  to  Heathermuir  with  Silence  Garnett, 
who  chatted  to  him  all  the  way  over  about  the  graces  of 
Florida  Morgan. 

In  sharpest  contrast  with  the  bareness  of  the  house 
he  had  left  at  dawn,  the  luxury  of  the  one  he  entered  at 
dark  appeared  to  smother  him.  It  seemed  impossible 
that  starvation  and  overabundance  should  lie  so  close 
together  without  involving  culpable  stewardship  of  that 
surfeit  of  wealth,  yet  while  he  sat  in  judgment  his  heart 
plunged  with  gladness  at  the  sight  of  the  girl  who  came 
across  the  great  drawing-room  with  eager  hands  ex- 
tended in  welcome.  Northmore  had  never  dreamed  that 
any  living  woman  could  be  so  beautiful  as  she  was  then 
in  the  gauzy  trailing  gown,  out  of  which  her  white 
shoulders  and  graceful  head  rose  as  from  grey  mist. 
He  could  guess  that  her  few  jewels  were  rare  and 
costly. 

"  I  knew  you  would  bring  her,  my  good  Sir  Knight," 
she  laughed,  with  her  arms  around  Silence.  "  Do  you 
know,  dear,  I  have  appropriated  this  man  to  be  my 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  119 

knight  errant;  he  is  already  fighting  my  battles;  he's 
going  to  be  a  scarred  veteran,  too,  before  many  moons 
pass,  because  I've  loaded  up  such  heaps  and  heaps  of 
windmills  and  other  people  for  him  to  vanquish.  Now, 
come  and  meet  Olive." 

Her  friend  was  of  a  different  type,  tall,  forceful,  with 
little  boast  of  beauty  save  that  of  good  health  and  good 
humour.  There  was  a  sparkle  of  fun  in  her  light  eyes 
and  the  curve  of  her  mouth.  She  was  quite  as  uncon- 
ventional as  Florida,  and  the  four  were  friends  at  once. 
By  the  time  the  other  guests  arrived  the  latter  was 
already  deep  in  her  problem  and  would  have  told  it  to 
them  but  for  the  announcement  of  dinner. 

As  Northmore  sat  at  the  glittering  table  in  the 
splendid  dining-room  an  agonised  shout  rang  in  his 
ears  so  loud  that  he  wondered  others  did  not  hear  it. 
"  What  do  you  think  we've  had  to  eat  this  week?  Hard 
bread  and  potatoes!  "  But  Mr.  Morgan  was  laughing 
at  some  bright  saying  of  Olive  Drysdale's,  and  the  grave 
butler  was  serving  Blue  Points.  The  scene  of  the  early 
morning  persisted  as  the  dinner  progressed  with  op- 
pressive lavishness,  and  the  girl  at  his  side  found  him  an 
abstracted  listener.  Afterwards  they  all  went  to  the 
music  room  where  Florida  unfolded  the  scheme  in  which 
she  was  so  engrossed: 

"  Nobody's  had  time  to  tell  me  what  he  thinks  of 
Miss  Drysdale's  suggestion  of  a  big  Thanksgiving  din- 
ner for  the  poor  of  Mogadonia — a  sort  of  opening 
wedge  to  their  hearts,  you  know.  There  isn't  a  bit  of 
charity  work  done  here,  and  someone  must  make  a 


i!20  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

beginning.  Now,  I  want  you  all  to  discuss  the  plan. 
What  do  you  think  of  it,  Doctor?  " 

*'  It  would  be  simply  immense,  that's  the  way  it  strikes 
me,  if  you  could  carry  it  out  on  a  big  scale.  I've  read 
of  those  things  in  cities." 

"  It's  the  same  idea,"  explained  Olive.  "  Some 
organization,  usually  the  Salvation  Army,  gives  huge 
Thanksgiving  and  Christmas  dinners  to  the  very  poor, 
and  I  assure  you  they  are  notable  events.  It's  the  big- 
gest and  the  most  effective  thing  you  could  do  at  this 
time  of  year." 

"  Where  would  you  serve  it?  "  asked  Doctor  Tommy, 
who  had  never  been  able  to  establish  a  claim  to  the 
family  name,  so  exclusively  was  it  reserved  for  his 
father,  the  beloved  "  Old  Doctor."  He  had  been  mar- 
ried but  a  month  or  so,  and  his  bride  declared  that  she 
didn't  think  she  was  entitled  to  it,  either,  so  seldom  was 
it  accorded  to  her.  She  was  listening  with  an  interested 
face,  and  added: 

"  It  would  be  a  lovely  thing  to  do — but  where  would 
you  have  it?  " 

"  There,  you've  struck  our  weak  point  the  first  thing. 
Don't  some  of  you  know  of  a  place  in  town  that  will  be 
large  enough  and  warm  enough  for  the  season  ?  I  don't 
know  of  one — and  that  is  the  drawback,"  confessed 
Florida. 

"  You  know  the  opera  house  burned  last  winter,"  re- 
marked the  doctor's  wife. 

"  Best  thing  it  could  have  done,"  added  her  husband. 
"  I  suppose  Joe  Fury's  hall  wouldn't  be  big  enough." 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

"No,  indeed,"  objected  Northmore;  "and  we  don't 
want  it,  anyhow.  There  is  a  large  warehouse  near  the 
railroad  station  that  might  do — if  it  could  be  got  for 
the  purpose." 

"  The  very  thing !  Bless  you,  Mr.  Northmore,  for  I 
should  never  have  thought  of  that,  and  I'm  sure  it  be- 
longs to  my  father,  too.  It  can  be  emptied  if  it  is  full 
of  anything — and  we  will  have  it  cleaned  up  and  lighted 
and  heated  and  decorated  with  bunting — oh,  it  is  just 
the  place.  I've  been  quite  worn  out  trying  to  get  over 
that  obstacle — the  rest  is  so  easy.  Now  we  can  go 
ahead  with  the  details.  Carrie,  you  and  the  doctor  are 
going  to  be  chief  lieutenants,  you  know." 

"Oh,  are  we  in  it?" 

"  Indeed  you  are !  You  are  to  put  on  aprons  and  cut 
and  carve  and  wait  on  tables  until  the  guests  have  had 
all  they  can  eat ;  then  if  there's  anything  left  you  can 
sit  down  and  have  your  own  dinners." 

"  I  like  that — for  our  first  Thanksgiving,"  grumbled 
the  doctor  facetiously. 

"  You'll  enjoy  it  so  much  that  you  will  never  want  to 
spend  it  any  other  way,"  returned  Olive  Drysdale. 
"  I've  had  experience." 

"  Now  that  the  most  important  point  is  settled, 
Florida,"  Mr.  Morgan  had  risen  and  was  standing  be- 
hind his  daughter's  chair  waiting  for  a  pause,  "  I  want 
to  take  your  guests  to  my  chrysanthemum  house — I 
have  had  lights  put  there — and  then  I  want  them  to  see 
the  Indian  relics  that  have  been  dug  out  of  the  mound, 
before  I  send  them  to  the  Smithsonian.  Come  to  the 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

greenhouse  first,  and  you  can  take  your  time  for  the 
cabinets  afterwards." 

The  display  of  chrysanthemums  was  surprisingly  fine 
and  the  party  lingered  for  some  time,  then  scattered  be- 
fore the  cabinets  in  the  great  library,  and  Mr.  Morgan 
took  the  opportunity  to  lead  Northmore  to  his  den, 
which  was  so  crowded  with  every  grotesque  article  the 
furnisher  could  add  to  his  bill  that  it  was  with  difficulty 
that  an  uncomfortable  carved  chair  could  be  extracted 
from  the  huddled  furniture  and  placed  where  the  visitor 
could  face  his  host. 

**  I  wanted  to  ask  how  you  are  progressing  with  the 
building  proposition  we  talked  of  the  other  day,"  sug- 
gested Mr.  Morgan. 

Northmore  searched  the  other's  face  with  puzzled 
eyes.  "  I  have  talked  with  my  working  members  indi- 
vidually, but  the  matter  has  not  been  presented 
officially." 

"  Well,  I  suppose  that  will  be  a  mere  form.  Your 
congregation  will  hardly  refuse  such  an  offer." 

"  I  should  like  a  little  longer  to  consider  the  question 
from  all  points  with  them."  Northmore  spoke  dream- 
ily; he  was  recalling  certain  expressions  evoked  by  the 
mention  of  Morgan's  proposition.  "  I  reckon  the 
Lord  '11  be  glad  of  any  of  that  money  that  goes  to  do 
good,"  Squire  Pocock  had  said.  Mr.  Garnett  com- 
mented, "  The  Lord  would  probably  be  as  well  pleased 
with  something  better  than  cattle  sheds  for  Morgan's 
workmen  as  with  a  house  of  worship."  Mr.  Money- 
penny  smiled :  "  I  guess  it's  true  that  Tom  wants  to 


go  to  Congress."  While  the  Old  Doctor,  wise  and  kindly, 
remarked :  "  I  wish  we  might  strike  him  for  a  hospital. 
There's  not  a  bed  in  this  town  for  the  destitute  sick  or 
emergency  cases." 

Northmore  stared  at  a  fat  black  dragon  over  a 
cabinet,  recalling  these  things ;  then  an  expectant  move- 
ment attracted  his  eyes  again  to  the  gracious  presence 
before  him,  this  man  of  tender  family  ties  and  punc- 
tilious religious  observance,  against  whom  the  town 
united  in  bitter  denunciation. 

"  There  seems  to  be  a  sentiment  in  favour  of  a  widened 
influence  in  the  town,  among  those  who  have  expressed 
themselves.  The  institutional  church  is  growing  in 
favour  as  well  as  in  usefulness.  Does  your  offer  admit 
of  any  latitude,  Mr.  Morgan  ?  I  think  myself  that  the 
protection  of  the  young  people  should  be  a  principal 
consideration." 

A  hard  smile  widened  Mr.  Morgan's  close  mouth.  "  I 
see  you  haven't  lived  in  Proctor  Garnett's  house  all  this 
time  for  nothing — but  his  opinions  are  not  to  be  taken 
in  this  matter,  for  he's  not  a  Christian,  and  his  notions 
are  all  materialistic.  I've  no  patience  with  innovations 
in  the  church;  it's  neither  a  shop  nor  a  school,  but  as 
necessary  a  means  to  saving  souls  now  as  in  the  days 
of  the  apostles.  Proctor  Garnett  would  save  them  with 
a  social  club.  What  good  are  his  model  houses  and  his 
flower  beds  going  to  do  anybody  in  the  Day  of  Judg- 
ment, I  would  like  to  ask?  " 

"  A  man  who  helps  another  to  better  living,  helps  him 
spiritually;  the  motive  of  the  Church  to-day  is  higher 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

than  Hell-phobia,  Mr.  Morgan.  It  must  broaden  to  an 
infinity  of  means  to  meet  the  infinity  of  needs." 

"  I  guess  he's  got  you  pretty  firm.  No,  Mr.  North- 
more,  my  offer  stands  simply  for  an  altar  to  the  Most 
High — and  nothing  else." 

"  It  is  better  to  have  a  clear  understanding,"  and  the 
minister  smiled  away  the  irritation  which  Mr.  Garnett's 
name  always  produced  in  Tom  Morgan.  In  the  brief 
silence  which  followed,  Northmore  took  the  opportunity 
to  utter  the  thought  that  possessed  his  mind :  "  I  want 
to  call  your  attention  to  a  case  of  destitution  which  is 
imperative — and  which  has  a  claim  on  you — as  I  under- 
stand the  man  once  worked  for  you.  I  was  called  to  a 
deathbed  during  the  night,  a  pitiable  case ;  the  man  has 
been  sick  for  years.  There  is  no  money  for  his  burial, 
and  his  wife  is  suffering  for  the  necessaries  of  life." 

"  Um-hm.  You  must  appreciate  that  I  am  appealed 
to  by  the  whole  county." 

"  There  is  no  question  of  the  genuineness  of  this  need. 
The  name  is  Ellis,  and  they  have  lived  here  for  many 
years." 

Visible  colour  flowed  over  Mr.  Morgan's  face.  His 
long  upper  lip  bulged  cruelly  as  he  closed  it  upon  the 
other  before  he  spoke.  "  Ah,  so  Ellis  is  dead,  is  he  ?  At 
last.  Well,  I  certainly  don't  owe  his  family  any  help — 
but — you  say  she  is  actually  suffering?  Well,  I  sup- 
pose the  poor  fellow  was  really  insane;  that  must  have 
been  the  matter  with  him,  and  his  wife  wasn't  responsible 
for  that.  He  has  treated  me  viciously  for  years — that 
man  Ellis.  He  worked  for  me  once,  a  long  time  ago, 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  125 

and  he  was  a  fine  workman,  but  I  had  a  little  outside 
transaction  with  him,  for  which  he  has  libelled  me  ever 
since.  He  claimed  I  took  advantage  of  him — he  was  un- 
used to  business —  and  he  has  spent  the  rest  of  his  life  in 
abuse  of  me.  Of  course  he  had  sympathisers  who  took 
his  statements  for  fact,  and  he  has  roused  a  good  deal 
of  prejudice  against  me.  He  wanted  to  raise  a  little 
money  one  time,  and  struck  me  for  a  loan  on  some 
very  doubtful  security,  security  that  no  one  else  would 
have  touched.  I  didn't  care  to  lend  it — I  was  com- 
paratively a  poor  man  myself  at  the  time,  and  he  never 
could  have  paid  it — but  the  man  was  working  for  me 
and  I  wanted  to  do  him  a  favour  if  I  could.  I  offered 
to  buy  his  machine  of  him  at  a  good  price;  it  had 
never  been  tried,  but  I  was  willing  to  take  the  risk.  He 
accepted  my  offer;  I  paid  him  the  money  on  the  spot 
and  the  transaction  was  ended — as  I  understood.  I  had 
the  means  of  using  the  thing — which  he  never  could  have 
had,  and  the  money  to  do  it  with — and  it  turned  out  well. 
When  he  learned  this,  he  repented  of  his  bargain,  claimed 
that  I  had  cheated  him,  and  spread  the  report  far  and 
wide.  It  is  easy  to  believe  a  slander  against  a  success- 
ful man,  and  there  were  plenty  to  keep  it  going.  Now,  I 
hope  I  shall  have  peace.  Is  his  wife  living?  Yes,  I 
remember." 

"  She  is  barely  alive,  and  in  desperate  want." 
"  I  suppose  it  is  my  duty  to  forgive  and  forget. 
Some  things  are  hard  to  forget,  though." 

"  It  would  not  be  hard,  Mr.  Morgan,  if  you  saw  how 
she  lives." 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

He  made  no  reply  as  he  opened  a  massive  desk  and 
wrote  a  cheque  which  he  dried  carefully  before  he  handed 
it,  open,  to  Northmore.  It  was  for  ten  dollars.  Then 
he  talked  of  general  subjects  for  a  few  minutes,  as 
though  to  dissipate  unpleasant  memories,  after  which  he 
ied  the  way  back  to  the  drawing-room.  They  found  the 
rest  of  the-  party  grouped  closely  around  Olive  Drys- 
dale,  who  was  reading  a  girl's  palm.  The  girl  caught 
it  away  as  the  two  men  entered,  and  Olive  was  silent,  with 
a  look  of  annoyance. 

"Let  me  hear  my  fortune  over  again,"  begged  the 
doctor,  extending  his  palm.  "  You  told  me  so  many 
nice  things  that  I  can't  remember  them  all." 

"  Maybe  she  can't,  either,"  insinuated  Florida  laugh- 
ingly. 

"  I'd  be  afraid  to  try — but  you  haven't  a  bad  line  in 
your  hand." 

"  Now,  you  hear  that,  Mr.  Northmore.  Why  don't 
you  try  your  fate?  She's  a  regular  wizard." 

The  minister  involunarily  put  his  hand  behind  him. 
"  I  never  had  my  fate  told  in  my  life,"  he  said. 

"  Then  you  must  certainly  hear  it,"  urged  Florida. 
"  Olive  only  tells  good  fortune — and,  of  course,  nobody 
believes  it  anyhow.  Just  for  fun — let  us  hear  what  she 
will  tell  you,  Mr.  Northmore.  We  all  know  that  it's 
nonsense." 

Northmore  flushed  with  a  reserved  man's  dread  of  self- 
revelation,  but  would  not  refuse  longer. 

"  He  actually  believes  it,"  laughed  Olive  as  she 
glanced  up  at  him  before  she  bent  over  his  reluctantly 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  127 

extended  palm.  There  was  a  moment  of  interested 
silence  as  she  pondered,  each  one  listening  with  the 
fascination  which  the  foretelling  of  destiny  compels  even 
from  the  sceptical. 

"  You  must  be  finding  strange  things,"  commented 
Doctor  Tommy  as  Olive  studied  the  hand  like  a  page. 
She  looked  up  doubtfully. 

"  Yes,  I  am — rather.  You  have  some  pretty  striking 
characteristics,  Mr.  Northmore;  may  I  tell  them?" 

"  Yes,  though.  I  don't  believe  in  it,  you  know." 

"  Oh,  I  have  little  reservations,  sometimes,  if  it  is  too 
bad.  Your  hand  shows  tremendous  will  power,  con- 
trolled about  equally  by  impulse  and  judgment.  Did 
you  ever  hear  of  such  a  combination?  It  has  led  you 
through  tortuous  paths.  Fate  meant  to  do  well  by  you 
in  the  first  place,  but  you  thwarted  her  and  went  off  into 
a  side  track  which  led  through  great  obstacles,  some  of 
which  you  have  overcome." 

"Some  of  which?" 

"  Yes,  if  I  guess  your  age  correctly,  there  are  changes 
of  fortune  still  before  you.  Your  strong  motor  com- 
bination— will,  reason,  impulse — sweeps  you  on  regard- 
less of  expediency  whenever  you  think  you  are  in  the 
right.  Therefore,  your  changes  of  fortune  are  gen- 
erally misfortune." 

"  You  are  discouraging,"  and  Northmore  tried  not  to 
be  serious. 

"  I  am  paying  you  off  for  not  believing  in  me." 

The  doctor's  wife  bent  nearer.  "  You  are  leaving 
out  the  most  interesting  part.  How  long  is  he  going  to 


128  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

live,  and  how  many  times  is  he  going  to  be  married  ?  " 
she  asked. 

'*  He  has  a  long  life,  with  no  serious  illness  indicated. 
The  only  one  is  at  about  forty-five,  but  it  will  not  be 
fatal.  The  other  question — shall  I  answer  that?  " 

"  Certainly. ;  why  not  ?  " 

"  You  will  love — or  you  have  loved — but  once,  but 
it  is  with  your  whole  heart — your  life.  It  is  tremen- 
dous. I  have  never  seen  anything  like  it.  There  is 
trouble  in  it,  too,  if  not  tragedy.  You  take  life  very 
seriously  in  all  respects.  You  have  a  great  love  of 
truth  and  openness.  You  have  little  imagination,  are 
literal,  exact,  and  have  not  a  great  sense  of  humour." 

"  Great  Scott,  Miss  Drysdale,  aren't  you  piling  it  on 
pretty  heavy?  You  gave  all  the  rest  of  us  good  for- 
tunes. What's  your  grudge  against  him  ?  "  exclaimed 
a  young  man  who  had  watched  Northmore's  face  with 
keen  eyes.  "  Give  him  riches,  honour,  or  a  happy  mar- 
riage, one.  You  don't  say  how  his  love  affair  turns 
out." 

"  Do  you  want  to  know  ?  "  and  Olive  looked  straight 
into  his  eyes.  "  Of  course,  we  don't  believe  in  it." 

"  You  needn't  tell — any  of  those  three  things.  No, 
I  don't  believe  in  it,  though  you  have  made  some  very 
shrewd  guesses.  Is  that  all  ?  " 

*'  I  will  tell  you  a  little  more.  You  are  going  to 
make  friends,  not  many,  but  loyal  ones,  who  will  stand 
by  you  in  your  reverses,  and  the  latter  half  of  your  life 
will  be  full  of  confidence  of  people — of  honour  without 
wealth.  You  are  a  leader  born;  you  are  daring  and 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  129 

convincing — but  you  are  too  impolitic  to  use  your  in- 
fluence to  your  own  advantage." 

Northmore  withdrew  his  hand,  laughing:  "  Surely 
you  cannot  be  accused  of  lack  of  imagination,  Miss 
Drysdale.  Isn't  someone  else  going  to  be  exposed  for 
my  benefit  ?  " 

"  We've  all  been  through  it  except  Florida.  Let  us 
hear  your  fortune.  The  rest  of  us  have  contributed 
to  your  entertainment,"  begged  Mrs.  Doctor  Tommy. 

"  No,"  and  Florida  closed  her  hand  in  her  lap.  "  I 
let  a  woman  once  tell  my  fortune  with  a  crystal  ball. 
She  gave  a  seance  at  the  hotel  in  Paris  where  we  were 
staying,  and  she  told  me  such  dreadful  things,  and  made 
me  believe  her  so — that  I  will  never  run  the  risk  again. 
I  can't  throw  off  the  influence." 

"  I'm  sure  it's  not  true,  but  she  won't  even  let  me  look 
in  her  hand,"  complained  Olive.  Florida  smiled  and 
shook  her  head.  Then  she  moved  to  Northmore's  side. 
"  Don't  think  I  am  too  silly — minding  such  things. 
You  take  them  so  coolly.  Now,  tell  me  when  you  are 
coming  out  to  make  plans  for  our  dinner.  I  am  a  good 
follower — and  we  have  just  heard  that  you  are  a 
leader." 

"  Whenever  you  wish ;  "  he  avoided  her  gaze.  Her 
smile  twinkled  in  the  corners  of  her  eyes  in  irresistible 
lines,  while  her  feminine  humility  before  his  mental 
virility — the  perfect  correlative  of  his  manliness — 
swept  down  all  barriers  between  them. 

"  Then  we  must  begin  at  once,  for  the  time  is  short — 
and  you  will  keep  me  from  failing  this  time,  won't  you? 


130  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

If  you  can  only  coax  the  people  to  come,  I  will  answer 
for  their  staying  when  they  do  get  there.  Can  you 
come  out  Monday  afternoon?  That  will  give  us  time 
to  talk  over  things  with  Olive  and  make  our  plans  care- 
fully. Then  it  will  be  easy  to  work  out  details  as  we 
come  to  them.  Oh,  it  must  succeed  this  time !  " 

He  promised  to  come  on  Monday  afternoon,  and  she 
suggested  some  things  that  he  was  to  think  over  in  the 
meantime,  to  which  he  paid  little  attention,  listening 
helplessly  to  her  voice,  and  looking  deep  into  her  beau- 
tiful eyes.  He  drove  home,  every  nerve  thrilling  with 
the  memory  of  her,  every  word  and  glance  of  hers 
present  with  him  while  he  was  vowing  to  himself  that 
he  would  go  fearlessly  to  her  whenever  it  was  necessary, 
and  that  he  would  not  love  her.  He  was  not  coward 
enough  to  flee  from  temptation,  even  if  he  could  give 
a  plausible  reason  for  so  doing.  He  was  man  enough 
to  conquer  this  madness  even  as  he  had  vanquished  other 
things  in  the  past. 


CHAPTER    X 

NORTHMORE  found  himself  as  much  at  ease  in  the 
happy-go-lucky  life  of  Mrs.  Jernigan's  household  as 
in  the  preciseness  of  the  Garnett  home.  Two  upstairs 
rooms  had  been  made  into  one  for  him,  and  fitted  with 
shelving  for  his  books.  He  was  glad  that  the  only 
other  boarder  was  the  young  druggist,  Harrington, 
whom  he  had  met  on  the  day  of  his  arrival,  for  he  had 
found  no  other  young  man  in  the  town  with  whom  he 
could  have  the  slightest  companionship. 

Mrs.  Jernigan  had  a  husband,  but  he  was  afflicted 
with  chronic  weariness  which  made  an  arduous  task  of 
his  life  mission,  that  of  establishing,  by  force  of  argu- 
ment, a  conclusion  to  any  question  incapable  of  proof. 
To  this  occupation  he  had  devoted  the  past  fourteen 
summers  and  winters  in  exhaustive  wrestling  with  Uncle 
Jimmy  Potter  on  the  elusive  relation  of  Predestination 
to  Free  Will,  a  question  which  the  untimely  death  of 
Uncle  Jimmy,  in  his  eighty-eighth  year,  had  left  for- 
ever without  a  conclusion,  since,  as  Mr.  Jernigan  la- 
mented, the  increasing  heedlessness  of  the  age  left 
these  tremendous  issues  stranded,  as  it  were,  high  and 
dry  on  the  sandy  shore  of  oblivion.  As  he  depended 
wholly  upon  original  sources  for  argumentative 
weapons,  he  was  obliged  to  ruminate  industriously  in  his 
arm  chair,  in  chimney  corner  or  front  porch  as  the 

131 


132  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

season  required,  that  his  steel  might  be  ready  and  bright 
for  use  whenever  he  could  find  metal  upon  which  to 
try  it. 

Upon  Mrs.  Jernigan,  therefore,  devolved  the  less  im- 
portant tasks  of  supplying  the  family  needs  and  tug- 
ging their  two  children  through  the  public  school.  Ben 
was  a  handsome  fellow  with  manly  eyes,  but  poor 
Genevieve  Pearl,  her  mother's  pride,  was  so  densely 
freckled  that  her  normal  complexion  would  never  be 
known.  She  had  a  mop  of  rich  red  hair,  and  was  clever 
at  mathematics. 

The  whole  family  took  charge  of  the  minister  and  his 
impedimenta  on  the  night  of  their  arrival,  and  helped 
to  fit  the  latter  into  their  proper  nooks.  Mr.  Jernigan 
climbed  the  stairs  to  contribute  his  presence  and  the 
even  grind  of  his  conversation  to  the  general  good,  sit- 
ting in  an  "  old  gold  "  plush  rocker  filched  from  the 
parlour  to  ornament  the  new  study.  Mr.  Harrington 
arranged  on  their  shelves  books  from  boxes  which 
Northmore  opened.  Genevieve  Pearl  wiped  pictures  as 
they  were  unpacked  by  Ben — and  took  great  interest  in 
the  class  photographs — while  Mrs.  Jernigan  looped  up 
clean  curtains.  The  doorbell  jingled  and  Ben  ran  down 
to  return  with  a  basket  of  apples  for  Northmore. 

"  Them's  Daddy  Pocock's  Maiden's  Blush,"  com- 
mented his  mother  positively. 

"  Yes,  he  said  he  wouldn't  come  up  because  it  was  his 
bed  time.  He'll  be  round  to-morrow." 

"He  was  here  this  afternoon,"  and  Mrs.  Jernigan 
stepped  down  from  her  chair  and  reached  for  a  tack 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  133 

hammer.  "  Now,  what  you  s'pose  he  wants  to  know, 
Mr.  Northmore  ?  " 

"  I  never  could  guess  a  conundrum  in  my  life,"  and 
the  minister  pried  the  last  board  from  the  top  of  a  box. 

"  Well,  he  wanted  to  know  if  I  thought  it  was  safe 
fur  him  to  rent  the  parsonage.  He  asked  how  long 
you'd  taken  these  rooms  fur,  an*  I  told  him  you  was 
built  in  like  you  meant  to  stay.  He  said,  well,  there 
was  no  tellin'.  You  couldn't  count  on  a  young  man — 
an*  you'd  been  seen  out  walkin'  twice  with  Silence  Gar- 
nett — an'  stayin'  all  the  fall  up  at  her  very  house — 
he  'lowed  you  mightn't  be  a  single  man  very  long." 

Northmore  looked  annoyed  and  jerked  out  a  packet 
of  manuscript :  "  I  hope  you  set  his  mind  at  rest,"  he 
remarked  shortly. 

"  No,  I  couldn't.  I  told  him  that  Silence  Garnett 
was  the  prettiest  and  sweetest  girl  in  town,  and  that  if 
you  could  see  her  every  day  an'  not  try  to  cut  out  that 
fire-eatin'  missionary  that's  worryin'  the  life  out  of 
her,  you  wasn't  a  human  man.  An'  I  told  him  that  if 
it  was  to  be  Silence  I'd  let  you  go  with  all  my  heart  and 
jine  these  rooms  up  agin  fur  some  other  boarder,  I'd 
be  so  happy  to  have  her  took  out  of  danger." 

"  I  don't  think  there's  any  chance  for  anyone  else 
while  Mr.  Firestone  is  in  the  field,"  he  said  seriously. 
Harrington  dropped  the  dictionary  he  was  lifting  and 
it  crashed,  open,  upon  a  little  water  colour  which  Gene- 
vieve  had  laid  down,  and  broke  the  glass.  The  young 
man  picked  it  up,  his  face  painfully  flushed,  and  North- 
more  hastened  to  assure  him  that  the  damage  was  in- 


134.  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

consequent.     He  put  the  book  in  its  place  while  Mrs. 
Jernigan  turned  and  said,  to  him  only : 

"  I  wasn't  sure  before,  but  I  know  now,"  and  louder, 
"  If  anybody  else  but  Billy  Canter  cares  for  that  girl, 
I  don't  see  why  he  don't " 

"Yes,  why  doesn't  he?  "  echoed  Harrington  bitterly. 
"  If  you  try  hard  I  think  you  can  find  a  reason  or  two 
yourself,  Mrs.  Jernigan.  I'm  sorry  for  poor  Billy 
Canter." 

"  Don't  you  worry !  Billy  Canter's  been  in  love  with 
every  girl  in  town  these  last  twenty  years — he's  in  love 
with  'em  all  yet — but  the  trouble  is,  there's  so  many  and 
he  loves  'em  all  so  much  that  some  other  fellow  always 
gets  ahead  of  Billy — and  breaks  his  heart.  I've  com- 
forted him  'leven  or  twelve  times,  myself.  But  it's 
dangerous  now,  and  Silence's  mother's  no  good  at  all 
where  religion's  concerned." 

"  I'll  have  to  go  to  the  store  now,"  remarked  Har- 
rington nervously.  "  I'm  sorry — but — good-night." 

Mrs.  Jernigan  looked  after  him  with  motherly  con- 
cern. The  monotonous  note  of  her  husband's  occupa-* 
tion  had  made  an  accompaniment  for  this  bit  of  side 
talk.  Northmore  was  too  near  to  escape  listening 
to  it: 

"  — He  depended  a  wonderful  sight  on  authority,  Mr. 
Martin  always  did.  I  argued  with  him  that  authority 
was  as  likely  to  be  wrong  as  right.  'Now,  f 'r  ii^stance,' 
says  I,  '  take  the  personal  devil.  What's  the  need  of 
authority  on  a  question  like  that,  that  a  man  can  argue 
out  for  himself.  Now,  the  evidences  of  a  personal 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  135 

devil,'  says  I, '  are  so  plain  that  to  a  man  that  can  argue 
there  ain't  an  agument  on  the  other  side,  not  one.  How 
are  you  ever  goin'  to  punish  the  wicked  if  there  ain't  a 
place  to  put  'em  in?  An'  how  are  you  goin'  to  run  a 
place  to  put  'em  in  without  a  ruler  of  that  place?'  An* 
there  I  had  him.  Good  man,  too,  Mr.  Martin  was, 
but  mighty  weak  in  argument.  Now,  there  was  another 
ques " 

"  Move  over,  pa,  an'  let  Mr.  Northmore  drive  the 
nail  fur  that  looking  glass.  Too  bad  we  scared  out 
poor  Mr.  Harrington.  I  thought  he  was  tender  there, 
an'  I  wanted  him  to  know  that  he'd  better  hustle  if  he's 
got  his  eye  on  Silence — or  you  either,  Mr.  Northmore. 
Makes  no  difference — so's  it  ain't  Africa." 

"  — question  that  I  argued  with  Mr.  Mar " 

"  You  can't  set  there  either,  pa,  for  I've  got  to  put 
the  table " 

"  — tin  and  I  got  the  best  of " 

"  Nor  in  the  door,  either,  for  I've  got  to  go  back  and 
forth." 

"  — him  in  that,  too.     He  had  a  no " 

"You'll  blister  that  cheer  settin'  so  clost  to  the 
fire " 

"  — tion  that  the  Atone " 

"  Your  rockers  is  scrapin'  the  lounge,  there." 

"  — ment  was  a — was  a — now,  Susan,  don't  chase  me 
out  of  the  winder.  Mr.  Northmore  can't  get  no  sense 
of  what  I'm  sayin*  if  you  keep  me  hoppin'  round  like  I 
was  on  a  hot  griddle." 

"Well,  he'll  have  to  wait  then,  fur  I'm  through  an* 


136  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

I'm  goin'  to  chase  you  down  stairs  now,  an'  leave  him 
to  himself.  Ben,  you  pack  down  them  boxes  an'  clear 
up  the  litter  the  best  you  can.  I'll  sweep  in  the 
mornin'." 

Northmore  found  a  safe  and  practical  adviser  in  many 
instances  in  his  large-hearted  landlady,  whose  capabili- 
ties quite  obliterated  any  slight  deficiencies  in  her  house- 
keeping. She  was  an  excellent  cook  and  her  house 
was  scrupulously  clean  if  never  quite  in  order.  A  rumor 
that  Priscilla  Munson  had  had  a  spell  would  send  her 
off  before  the  dishes  she  was  washing  were  put  away, 
or  Tilly  Hopper's  baby  would  get  a  button  in  its  throat 
while  she  was  cleaning  the  stairs  and  she  would  run  to 
its  assistance,  leaving  the  pan  of  soapsuds  on  the 
second  step  in  the  shadow.  But  Northmore  learned 
to  be  wary  after  he  had  stepped  into  it  once,  and  to  look 
for  a  kitten  or  blacking  brush  in  his  chair  at  table  after 
he  had  once  sat  down  on  these  misplaced  articles.  When 
he  had  at  length  persuaded  his  hostess  to  return  her 
cherished  plush  rocker  to  the  parlour  and  let  him  buy 
a  light  one  for  his  own  use,  he  was  entirely  comfortable. 
He  found  time  in  the  lengthening  evenings,  before  his 
cheery  grate  fire,  to  carry  on  the  course  in  mythology, 
which  he  had  begun  at  Mr.  Garnett's,  but  much  of  his 
daylight  time  was  given  to  the  all-important  Thanks- 
giving dinner  for  the  poor  of  the  town,  which  was  com- 
ing on  with  wonderful  preparation.  Florida  could  think 
and  talk  of  littte  else,  and  spared  neither  effort  nor  ex- 
pense to  make  it  successful.  Northmore,  in  his  great 
dread  of  disappointment  for  her,  was  making  a  house- 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  137 

to-house  canvass  with  personal  invitations  and  explana- 
tions. He  discovered  during  this  canvass  that  he  was 
known  and  treated  with  deep  respect  by  all  the  native 
population  of  the  Island  quarter  for  his  interest  in  Mrs. 
Ellis  and  his  officiating  at  her  husband's  funeral,  which 
had  been  so  largely  attended  that  the  coffin  had  been 
carried  into  the  yard  that  all  might  hear  him — from 
whence  the  crowd  overflowed  into  the  road.  Since 
that  day  scarcely  a  blackened  miner  or  overalled  work- 
ing man  passed  him  without  a  respectful  lifting  of  the 
hat.  He  was  taking  the  utmost  advantage  of  this  popu- 
larity to  secure  a  good  attendance  at  the  great  event. 

Meanwhile  his  presence  was  required  daily  at  a  com- 
mittee meeting,  and  he  often  had  some  function  to  per- 
form in  the  work  itself.  Miss  Drysdale  proved  to  be  a 
manager  of  experience  and  ability,  and  Florida's  antici- 
pations rose  enthusiastically  as  the  day  drew  near  and 
one  stage  of  accomplishment  after  another  was  passed. 
It  had  proved  that  the  warehouse  was  full  of  wheat — but 
that  was  no  obstacle  to  her.  It  was  soon  emptied,  wired 
for  electric  lighting — in  lieu  of  sufficient  windows — 
piped  for  steam  heating  from  an  adjacent  stave  fac- 
tory— thoroughly  cleaned  and  its  brown  interior  walls 
covered  with  white  bunting,  of  which  a  false  ceiling  was 
also  made  and  prettily  decorated  in  the  national  colours. 

"  So  many  of  them  will  be  foreigners,  you  know,  and 
it  will  be  a  pleasant  association  of  the  flag,"  she  said. 

"  That's  a  bright  idea,"  endorsed  Northmore.  It 
was  the  last  afternoon,  and  the  committee  were  inspect- 
ing to  see  that  everything  was  ready  for  the  next  day. 


138  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

Florida  was  flushed,  eager,  tired,  a  little  dishevelled — 
enough  to  be  lovelier  than  ever — and  confident  of  suc- 
cess. It  did  not  occur  to  her  that  her  own  complete 
preparation  was  not  the  only  factor  of  success,  and 
Northmore  knew  that  she  had  unconsciously  laid  the 
burden  of  securing  guests  upon  him — and  with  implicit 
confidence.  No  doubt  of  that  feature  of  the  occasion 
appeared  to  enter  her  mind — and  he  grew  sick  with  ap- 
prehension when  he  saw  the  extent  of  her  expectation. 
He  stood,  hammer  in  hand,  looking  about  to  see  that  the 
mottoes  were  all  straight,  and  Florida,  a  tangle  of  red, 
white,  and  blue  ribbons  over  her  arm,  had  come  down 
the  long  floor  to  join  him.  Doctor  Tommy  and  Carrie 
were  inspecting  tall  stacks  of  plates  upon  white-covered 
side  tables  of  planking. 

"Will  it  all  do?  "she  smiled. 

"Do!"  He  fairly  groaned.  "  It  is  too  beautiful.  It 
is  so  fine  that — I — that — it's  going  to  cost  immensely." 

"  Is  that  all  you  were  going  to  say?  I  hope  it  will. 
I  want  it  to  be  as  fine  and  dainty  and  good  as  if  the 
best  people  in  the  country — I  mean  the  richest — were 
going  to  come.  And  we  have  done  the  best  we  could 
with  the  place." 

Olive  Drysdale  crossed  from  the  open  door  to  know 
if  another  load  of  chrysanthemums  could  be  used. 

"  Yes,  indeed,  if  there's  another  load  left  in  the  green- 
house. But  what  can  we  put  them  in?  Everything  is 
full  now." 

"  I'll  drive  over  for  my  umbrella  stand,"  volunteered 
Doctor  Tommy.  "  And  I'll  gather  up  the  rest  on  my 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  139 

street.  You  might  put  a  few  more  bunches  on  those 
long  tables  while  I'm  gone.  You  can't  get  them  over- 
done." 

"  I  do  wonder  if  we'll  have  room  for  everybody,"  pon- 
dered Florida  with  anxious  eyes. 

"  How  many  do  you  think  you  have  prepared  for  ?  " 
asked  Northmore. 

"  Six  hundred.  Doctor  Tommy  says  he  heard  people 
five  miles  the  other  side  of  Bellevue  talking  about  it  yes- 
terday." 

"  Are  they  coming  ?  "  Northmore  faced  him  sud- 
denly. 

"  I — why,  I  think  so.  They  were  full  of  questions 
about  it.  The  whole  county  is  talking  about  it." 

"  Oh,  dear,  what  shall  we  do  if  things  give  out?  We 
can  seat  each  table  three  times  if  the  food  holds  out. 
I  hope  the  caterer  is  prepared  for  that.  Oh,  if  any- 
body goes  away  without  a  good  dinner — all  that  he 
can  eat,  I  should  never  forgive  myself.  I  feel  it  so — 
when  I  drive  by  the  poor  little  houses  and  see  wornout 
women  and  little  children  that  are  cold — and  then  go 
home  where  there  is  too  much  of  everything!  I  wake 
up  in  the  night  when  the  wind  sings  around  the  house — 
oh,  for  once  in  their  lives  everybody  in  the  county  who 
comes  shall  have  a  good  dinner." 

"  He  certainly  will.  Why,  Floss,  you've  got  a  gov- 
ernment contract  out  there.  I've  seen  a  few  such  things, 
too." 

"  But  think  how  many  there'll  be !  There  are  all 
those  glassworkers  in  Bellevue  and  Mogadonia — I 


140  ALTARS    TO   MAMMON 

hadn't  counted  them  in — and  there'll  be  three  or  four 
hundred  of  them  alone — and  their  families.  Then  there 
are  hundreds  of  colliers  scattered  all  through  these  hills 
— and  every  quarryman  will  come  because  father  owns 
the  quarries — and  the  Smelt  Furnace  down  at  Mosely's 
Junction — only  think  of  it!  There  will  be  at  least  a 
thousand — and  we've  only  given  the  order  for  six  hun- 
dred. Then  there'll  be  some  farmers  and  lumbermen — 
why,  what  in  the  world  shall  we  do?  " 

She  turned  to  the  others  in  consternation. 

"Don't  worry,  dearie.  If  we  run  out  we'll  just  call 
on  the  town  people  to  give  us  their  dinners  and  eat  bread 
and  butter  themselves.  They'd  all  do  it.  Don't  you 
worry,"  comforted  Olive. 

"  Indeed,  they  would — and  come  and  help  us  besides," 
added  Mrs.  Tommy,  wiping  her  grimy  hands  on  an  over- 
worked towel — for  she  had  been  making  evergreen  let- 
ters. "  And  isn't  it  the  prettiest  place  you  ever  saw ! 
What  a  surprise  it  will  be  as  they  all  come  in !  No  one 
would  dream  of  such  a  transformation." 

They  all  turned  to  take  in  the  completed  effect  with 
critical  eye;  the  long  high  room  gave  a  surprising  ef- 
fect of  purity  as  well  as  beauty — in  its  elaborate  deco- 
rations. Six  long  immaculately  white  tables,  each  laid 
for  sixty  people,  stretched  down  the  main  floor,  while 
smaller  tables  were  placed  in  corners  ready  for  use  when 
the  others  should  be  filled.  There  were  chrysanthemums 
and  carnations  in  lavish  abundance  wherever  they  could 
be  bestowed,  adding  their  splendor  to  the  general  effect. 

"  Now,  is  everything  ready  ?  "  asked  Florida.     "  Be- 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  141 

cause,  you  know,  we  shall  have  to  seat  people  over  and 
over  at  the  tables,  and  we  mustn't  leave  one  thing  to  be 
thought  of  after  the  rush  begins." 

"That's  right,"  endorsed  Olive  Drysdale.  "They 
come  in  swarms — they  have  one  advantage  that  you  can 
count  upon,  they  will  absorb  a  big  dinner  with  record 
speed.  You  can  count  on  their  places  quicker  than  you 
could  imagine  without  experience.  But  let  us  make 
sure ;  let  us  each  go  over  our  particular  department  and 
see  that  everything  is  ready." 

They  carefully  went  the  rounds  and  found  nothing 
wanting.  By  the  time  they  met  again  a  footman  stood 
inside  the  door  to  announce  that  the  carriage  had  come 
for  the  two  girls,  and  Northmore  held  their  long  auto 
coats  for  them,  and  then  went  out  to  hand  them  in. 
The  soft  sad  gloom  of  the  November  evening  fell  as  a 
curtain,  and  he  stood  to  watch  the  carriage  roll  out  of 
sight,  lifting  his  hat  unconsciously  to  it,  as  in  a  rever- 
ence that  could  find  no  other  expression — and  with  a 
heartfelt,  desperate  prayer  that  that  gentle  heart  might 
be  spared  the  stab  of  disappointment  on  the  next  day. 
Yet  he  lay  anxious  through  sleepless  hours,  counting 
again  and  again  that  elusive  sum,  the  number  of  people 
who  are  dependable  in  any  event.  And  the  number  rose 
and  fell  as  he  counted  it  from  every  source  of  his  re- 
liance. 

Thanksgiving  Day  dawned  cold,  with  whirls  of  wind 
and  stinging  sleet  and  a  low  firmament  of  slaty  cloud. 
Towards  noon  a  cold  wave  blew  out  of  the  northwest 
and  froze  the  sleet,  which  stopped  falling.  Northmore 


142  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

was  early  at  the  warehouse  with  a  sullen  foreboding 
weighing  at  his  heart  which  he  could  not  dispel,  even 
when  the  Heathermuir  carriage  arrived  and  Florida 
came  in  with  a  radiant  face  and  the  daintiest  of  white 
dresses.  The  perfection  of  readiness  and  the  savory 
fragrance  which  already  filled  the  town  were  to  her  a 
realisation  of  success.  Each  attendant  came  in  with 
an  exclamation  of  wonder  at  the  finished  effect,  even 
those  who  had  helped  to  make  it.  The  largest  bakeries 
had  been  chartered  for  the  day,  and  were  already  send- 
ing out  tantalising  odours  of  roasting  turkey,  escalloped 
oysters,  mince  pie,  and  plum  pudding.  Soon  the  aroma 
of  good  coffee  penetrated  to  every  street  with  its  cor- 
dial invitation.  Florida  was  now  in  such  a  flutter  of 
tremulous  expectation  that  she  could  do  nothing  but 
hover  about  the  tables  and  glance  at  the  door.  Her 
eyes  were  feverishly  brilliant,  while  Northmore's  heart 
was  pounding  in  an  agony  of  suspense  out  of  all  pro- 
portion to  the  importance  of  the  occasion — but  not  to 
the  passion  that  possessed  him.  At  a  quarter  to  twelve 
it  had  grown  so  intense  that  he,  too,  could  do  nothing 
but  watch  the  door.  At  twelve  it  flew  open  and  seven 
schoolboys  pushed  one  another  in.  Florida  flew  to  meet 
them. 

"  There,  they're  coming  now !  I  do  hope  that  we 
have  enough!"  she  cried  joyously  to  Northmore.  as 
she  passed  him. 

"  Surely !  "  He  went  to  glance  down  the  street.  The 
pleasant  Irish  woman  who  had  been  Florida's  friend 
ever  since  the  Children's  Day  at  Heathermuir  was  com- 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  143 

ing  with  her  family  and  a  neighbour's,  eleven  in  all. 
Next  arrived  a  delegation  from  Shantytown,  women 
with  little  shawls  on  their  heads  and  men  with  funny 
little  hats  and  hobnailed  shoes.  They  hovered  doubt- 
fully in  a  corner,  awed  and  suspicious  of  such  splendour 
of  table  linen  and  forks,  and  had  to  be  persuaded  in 
pantomime  to  seat  themselves.  Then  three  town  bums 
slouched  in  and  threw  their  hats  under  the  table,  sitting 
on  the  side  of  their  chairs  and  despatching  this  unusual 
liberality  of  free  lunch  with  the  providence  of  a  squirrel 
laying  in  a  winter  suply.  Two  coloured  men  came  next, 
followed  by  five  of  the  muddy,  nameless  nondescripts 
who  are  a  part  of  the  equipment  of  the  railroad  station 
of  a  country  town,  and  who  appear  to  exist  upon  the" 
fascination  of  the  trains  they  never  take.  After  this 
there  was  a  lull.  It  was  twenty  minutes  to  one,  and  less 
than  forty  persons  were  seated  at  one  of  the  long  tables. 

"  I'm  glad  they  came  early,  so  that  we  can  set  the 
table  again — for  the  rush,"  whispered  Florida  when 
Northmore  had  lifted  his  voice  in  an  unsteady  invoca- 
tion. He  had  reached  the  stage  when  his  ancestral  in- 
stincts would  have  delighted  in  going  out  with  a  shot- 
gun for  delinquents  who  had  scorned  this  feast — and 
its  dear  hostess.  Could  anyone  who  had  looked  into 
those  tender,  eager  eyes  ever  do  an  unkind  thing  again, 
he  wondered.  She  was  lifting  them  to  him  now: 

"  There's  someone  trying  to  open  the  door.  Go 
quick  and  let  him  in ! " 

Three  well-dressed  little  girls  were  trying  to  peep 
through  the  glass  panel  that  had  been  put  in. 


144  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

"  Come  in,  dearies.  Were  you  afraid?  "  she  asked  in 
a  tone  that  must  have  drawn  the  stones  from  the  street, 
thought  the  man  beside  her.  The  first  one  shrank  back 
and  ducked  her  head. 

"  No,  ma'am,  we  dassent.  We  went  to  get  the  mail 
at  the  post  office  and  we — just  wanted  to  peep  in  and 
see  what  it  looked  like." 

"  Go  all  round  and  look  at  everything.  Can't  you 
really  have  your  dinners  here?  I  would  love  to  have 

you." 

"  No,  ma'am,  our  mothers  wouldn't  know  where  we 
are." 

"  Couldn't  you  go  and  ask  them  if  you  might  come, 
just  for  fun,  you  know?  You  might  ask  some  little 
children  that  you  know  of  who — who  haven't  any 
Thanksgiving  dinner — whose  mothers  were  too  busy, 
you  know.  Couldn't  you  think  of  someone?  We'd  love 
to  have  them — and  their  mothers  and  fathers.  They 
don't  know  that,  do  they?  " 

The  little  girls  appeared  to  think  not,  and  Northmore 
turned  savagely  to  her. 

"  People  don't  seem  to  understand !  And  they  aren't 
worth  the  trouble — if — if  they  would  do  such  a  thing." 

The  little  girls  tiptoed  around  the  tables,  accepted  all 
the  fruit  and  candy  they  could  carry  away,  and  went 
home.  Another  bunch  of  schoolboys  peeped  in,  giggled, 
and  stumped  their  leader  to  take  a  seat,  following  him. 
A  small  battalion  of  town  loafers  slunk  in,  having  al- 
ready absorbed  celebration  of  the  day  to  the  limit  of 
their  credit  and  reliability  of  legs.  These  were  fol- 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  145 

lowed  by  about  twenty  of  the  people  who  were  pledged 
to  Northmore  to  come.  He  sent  a  boy  with  a  note  to 
Mrs.  Jernigan  in  hot  haste.  The  first  table  had  not  yet 
been  filled,  as  its  guests  had  come  scatteringly  enough  to 
succeed  each  other.  The  other  tables  stretched  in  long, 
glittering  emptiness,  their  volunteer  attendants  stand- 
ing in  white-aproned  rows  against  the  walls,  whisper- 
ing conjectures  that  were  needlepoints  to  Northmore's 
sensitive  consciousness.  The  orchestra  discoursed  popu- 
lar selections,  and  the  few  guests  were  stuffed  till  they 
begged  surcease  of  hospitality. 

A  portly  figure  entered  with  a  blast  of  cold  air,  and 
Florida  flew  to  greet  him.  It  was  the  Old  Doctor,  es- 
corting a  pathetic  young  woman  in  a  light  crochet 
shawl,  leading  two  purple-cold  children  in  scant  attire. 

"  I  don't  know  why  you  should  be  surprised  to  see 
me,"  he  began  with  gruff  tenderness  to  her.  "  Carrie 
wanted  to  put  me  off  with  a  promise  of  turkey  on  Sun- 
day and  a  cold  lunch  to-day,  but — my  gracious,  when 
the  whole  town  smells  of  this  dinner  I'm  not  going  to 
eat  cold  lunch!  I  like  good  dinners  too  well  to  miss  a 
thing  like  this.  I  wanted  some  good  company,  so  I 
stepped  over  and  asked  Mrs.  Hadder  if  she'd  come  with 
an  old  fellow — and  she  was  very  nice  about  it.  These 
women  never  cook  a  meal  unless  there's  a  man  in  the 
house.  Now,  Laura,  we  want  to  sit  where  they  won't 
slight  us.  You  take  the  baby  and  I'll  look  out  for  the 
little  man." 

Not  less  than  ten  attendants  sprang  to  wait  on  the 
Old  Doctor,  but  he  chose  Florida  herself,  stopping  to 


146  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

pat  her  shoulders  and  say :  "  You're  going  to  spoil  us 
in  this  town  so  bad  that  we'll  never  get  back  to  our  fod- 
der. But  it's  a  grand  thing  to  do,  honey,  and  it's  bound 
to  set  us  a  pace.  Now,  I'm  too  weak  to  speak  again 
till  I've  had  some  of  those  things  that  smell  so  good." 

Which  was  literally  true  of  his  companion.  The  poor 
girl  was  a  deserted  wife  whose  destitution  was  tragic. 
She  had  hardly  been  helped  when  Mrs.  Jernigan  came 
in  like  a  burst  of  sunshine,  with  a  little  party  in  tow. 
Her  voice  rang  out  cheerily: 

"  I  told  Mis'  Buckley  here  that  I  thought  Florida 
Morgan'd  like  to  have  some  of  us  quality  fur  comp'ny  to 
dinner,  an'  I  dared  her  to  come.  I  put  away  my  turkey 
fur  Sunday,  because  Florida's  got  both  of  my  young 
men  down  here  an'  I  hadn't  nobody  to  cook  fur,  as  you 
might  say,  an'  I  tole  Mis'  Buckley  to  keep  her'n  same 
way  and  we'd  have  two  Thanksgivin's.  I  'lowed  to  her 
it  would  be  right  nice  to  eat  one  dinner  we  didn't  cook 
fur  ourselves.  How-d'ye-do,  Florida?  What  a  lovely 
young  lady  you've  growed  up  to  be !  Miss  Morgan,  let 
me  make  you  acquainted  with  my  friend  Mis'  Buckley 
an'  her  two  daughters  an'  her  little  boys  an'  with  Mr. 
Jernigan  an'  my  son  an'  daughter." 

"  Oh,  you  dear ! "  whispered  Florida  irrelevantly, 
clasping  the  two  red  hands  in  her  white  ones :  "  You 
dear!  I  shall  always  love  you  for  doing  it.  They're 
famished."  For  this  family  was  one  of  the  town  mys- 
teries. Nobody  knew  how  they  lived,  and  all  the  mem- 
bers were  of  the  transparent  delicacy  produced  by  semi- 
starvation.  Florida  could  hardly  permit  the  eager 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  147 

waiters  to  serve  them.  She  hovered  around,  passing 
them  everything  in  sight  over  and  over  again. 

A  few  bashful  young  farmers  came  in  for  the  lark, 
some  glassworks  people,  not  blowers  who  receive  high 
wages,  but  labourers,  and  an  occasional  straggler  until 
three  o'clock,  when  it  was  evident  that  "  the  rush " 
was  over.  But  one  table  had  been  used.  Then  the 
committee  ate  their  own  dinner,  Florida  opposite  North- 
more,  with  a  white  face,  before  an  untouched  plate.  He 
noticed  that  she  ate  nothing  but  a  few  Malaga  grapes. 
Later  in  the  evening,  when  the  assistants  of  the  day  had 
gone,  Mrs.  Jernigan  bustled  up  to  her: 

"  Now,  Florida  if  you're  short  of  help  clearin*  up, 
Mis'  Buckley  an  me'll  delight  to  pitch  in  an'  help 
a  while  fur  some  o'  these  good  pervisions  that  you've 
got  left.  They  mustn't  be  wasted — an'  it'll  save  us 
cookin'." 

"  You  shan't  do  a  thing,  you  dear.  You're  my  guest 
for  the  day — and  I'll  send  a  waggon  round  with  some- 
thing that  will  give  you  both  a  rest  from  cooking.  You 
were  so  good  to  joke  and  help  entertain  the  people,  and 
everybody  loves  you  so.  You  and  the  doctor  saved  the 
day  for  me." 

"All  right,  if  you're  so  easy  as  that,  I  reckon  it's 
not  our  lookout,  Mis'  Buckley,  is  it?  And  we've  had 
the  time  of  our  lives." 

"  Well !  "  and  the  Old  Doctor  crowded  nearer.  "  Why 
don't  I  come  in  on  that?  Laura  Hadder  and  I  don't 
like  to  cook  any  better  than  other  folks.  I  could  carry 
a  good  big  basket — far's  her  house,  anyway."  A  hint 


148  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

which  was  quickly  taken.  The  basket  he  carried  was 
really  a  load  for  him.  They  watched  his  wide  form  pilot- 
ing his  little  party  through  the  door,  then  Florida, 
Silence,  Olive,  and  the  two  young  men  gathered  near 
one  of  the  heaters  in  the  deepening  gloom.  Silence  was 
putting  on  her  wraps  to  go  home,  and  Harrington 
was  waiting  to  go  with  her.  Nobody  could  find  a 
topic  that  would  break  the  painful  quiet.  Someone 
came  in. 

"  It's  the  Old  Doctor.  He  forgot  something,"  an- 
nounced Florida,  making  out  the  round  figure. 

"  No,  I  didn't,  honey.  I  came  back  to  tell  you  what 
a  field  you've  planted  this  cold  day.  It's  all  under- 
ground, but  don't  mind  that,  my  child.  That's  the 
place  to  plant  seed — but  you  must  cultivate  it  right. 
And  now,  to  the  present  question;  what  are  you  going 
to  do  with  all  this  car  load  of  delicious  food?  " 

"  That's  what  we  can't  imagine.  Of  course  we  must 
give  it  to  the  poor — but  how?  How  can  we  distribute 
such  a  quantity  in  the  short  time  we  have  ?  " 

"  Give  it ! — nonsense !  Don't  you  give  away  a  pound 
of  it !  I'm  an  old  man  and  I  know  this  town  like  a  book. 
They  don't  deserve  it,  either,  though  that's  not  the 
question.  I've  got  the  right  scheme,  if  you'll  only  agree 
to  it.  You  must  sell  that  stuff." 

"  Sell  it !    But  we  can't.    Who  would  buy  it?  " 

"  The  people  who  need  it  most.  It  would  get  to  the 
right  places  fast  enough." 

"But,  how  can  we  advertise  it?  The  papers  won't 
come  out  till  Saturday.  How  can  we  reach  people  ?  " 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  149 

"  Easiest  thing  about  it.  Tell  one  woman — tell  Susan 
— and  one  small  boy.  You  see,  I  know." 

"  And — who — who  will  see  to  it  ?  " 

"  Set  the  dominie  and  Harrington  and  my  boy 
Tommy  at  it.  They'll  be  good  shopkeepers.  Put  up  a 
placard  on  the  door  before  you  leave  now.  And  let  me 
help  you  with  prices.  It  must  be  a  bargain  sale,  you 
know,  but  not  too  cheap.  Now,  run  along,  Silence,  or 
you'll  take  cold  staying  in  here  with  that  big  coat  on. 
I  tell  you,  dominie,  I'm  proud  when  these  babies  of  mine 
grow  up  and  do  things  in  the  world." 

"  Oh,  doctor,  you  are  the  dearest  darling  old  com- 
forter! I  wonder  if  they  really  will  buy  this  stuff. 
When  I  think  of  that  I  begin  to  know  what  an  awful 
failure  it  was." 

"  Wait  and  see,"  whispered  Northmore.  "  It's  a 
great  beginning.  The  doctor  is  right,  and  I've  got 
an  idea  out  of  it." 

They  sat  down  at  a  small  table  to  arrange  a  method 
for  the  sale  and  to  write  the  placard,  and  Florida  watched 
them  in  silence.  Suddenly  she  sprang  to  her  feet,  ran 
to  the  partitioned-off  pantry,  dropped  into  a  wooden 
chair,  and  burst  into  heartbreaking  sobs.  After  a  time 
Northmore  followed  her  and  in  a  moment  the  doctor 
followed  him. 

"  They  were  a  little  afraid  of  you,  honey,  that's  all," 
said  the  Old  Doctor,  coming  upon  Northmore's  helpless 
figure  standing  beside  the  girl. 

"  Afraid  of — me?  "  The  exquisite  tremolo  of 
grieved  wonder  was  more  than  the  young  man  could 


150  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

bear.  He  went  away  and  left  her  with  the  doctor.  "  It's 
your — your  money  and  your  education  and  your  travel 
— and  your  beauty,"  the  doctor  said.  "  There's  too 
much  difference." 

"  Oh,  but  there  isn't.  I  was  homesick  for  the  place, 
and  all  of  them.  The  first  person  we  met  upon  the 
platform  when  we  came  home  from  abroad  was  dear  old 
Daddy  Pocock.  I  think  he  had  never  spoken  to  me 
before,  but  he  shook  my  hand  and  said,  *  Why,  Sissy 
Morgan,  how  you've  growed  up ! '  and  I  believe  I 
hugged  him." 

The  bargain  sale  opened  briskly  the  next  morning, 
so  briskly  indeed  that  the  town  marshal  had  to  be 
called  early  to  keep  the  people  in  orderly  procession  at 
the  entrance.  The  women  of  Whisky  Island,  the  farthest 
part  of  the  town,  were  waiting  in  a  crowd  when  the  door 
was  opened  at  eight  o'clock.  They  carried  large  bas- 
kets and  were  voluble  in  many  languages.  The  wives 
of  quarrymen  and  furnacemen  and  colliers  and  lumber- 
men and  glassworkers  were  all  there  with  plenty  of 
money  for  their  purchases,  driving  sharp  bargains  for 
the  food  they  had  been  invited  to  eat  free.  Others  were 
there  whom  the  Old  Doctor  rejoiced  to  see,  the  half-fed 
respectable  who  manage  to  live  upon  an  income  of 
nothing  at  all  and  who  are  really  the  keenest  sufferers, 
mentally  and  physically,  in  any  community.  These 
came  in  heartbreaking  makeshifts  of  clothing,  with 
hungry  eyes  and  transparent  little  lies  to  one  another 
about  the  convenience  of  buying  something  when  one 
was  so  busy! 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  151 

Nothing  surprised  Northmore  so  much  as  the  para- 
doxical haggling  over  the  nominal  prices  of  things 
which  the  buyers  had  refused  as  a  gift.  The  price  of 
a  roast  turkey  was  forty  cents — twenty  cents  for  a  half, 
but  when  the  big  ones  were  gone  the  buyers  demanded 
a  reduction  to  thirty-five  for  the  smaller  ones.  Cran- 
berry sauce  brought  six  cents  a  quart ;  Mocha  and  Java 
coffee,  ten  cents  a  pound ;  bread,  two  cents  a  loaf ;  plum- 
pudding,  ten  cents  a  pound,  and  ice  cream,  fifteen  cents 
a  brick.  Oysters,  cream,  celery,  butter,  sweet  potatoes, 
cake,  candy,  pies,  fruit,  nuts,  all  went  as  fast  as  they 
could  be  handled.  The  crowd  was  so  dense  and  so  clam- 
orous that  it  hindered  the  selling,  and  it  was  long  past 
noon  when  the  supply  was  at  last  exhausted.  As  the 
last  one  turned  away,  and  Northmore  locked  the  door, 
the  Old  Doctor  came  up  beaming  with  satisfaction: 

"  Now,  it's  come  out  right  after  all.  The  people  you 
invited  to  that  dinner  have  got  it — and  not  in  charity. 
I  tell  you,  the  problem  of  this  world  is  not  how  to  give 
alms,  but  how  to  put  the  good  things  where  the  poor 
can  buy  them." 

Northmore  smiled  bitterly,  thinking  of  the  girl  whq 
was  grieved  to  the  heart :  "  I  suppose  they  will  warm  up 
that  banquet  on  their  own  tables,  and  it  will  have  the 
flavour  of  independence  with  the  aromatic  sauce  of  a 
baragin ! ' 

"  Exactly,"  said  the  Old  Doctor. 


CHAPTER    XI 

NORTHMOKE'S  horse  rustled  knee-deep  through  glossy 
brown  leaves  thick  with  the  long  ripening  of  the  autumn 
just  past;  his  reins  lay  slack  in  his  hand;  his  eyes  were 
soft  with  feeling,  for  every  sense  thrilled  to  the  requiem 
of  the  Indian  summer  day  with  which  the  forest  colon- 
nades were  vibrant.  He  loved  this  mood  of  the  repent- 
ant December  afternoon  that  filched  from  June  a  holi- 
day whose  glow  turned  purple  and  umber  to  topaz  and 
dust  of  gold.  In  its  harmonies  were  voices  which  stilled 
the  depths  of  the  man's  troubled  soul  with  the  first  peace 
it  had  known  for  weeks. 

So  softly  he  drove  on  the  hidden  trail  that  creatures 
of  the  woods  feared  him  no  more  than  a  rustling  breeze. 
More  than  once  a  covey  of  timid  quail  ran  across  the 
road  before  him  and  hid  their  speckled  bodies  in  pawpaw 
thickets,  while  fat  squirrels  with  winter  stores  in  their 
pouched  cheeks  scurried  up  rough  trees  in  whose  bare 
branches  crows  were  noisily  quarrelling.  The  slow  pace 
carried  him  at  last  to  the  top  of  the  hill,  where  he 
stopped  to  gaze  lovingly  over  the  panorama  of  bil- 
lowing valley  and  range  that  he  never  passed  in  haste. 
A  familiar  figure  standing  with  bared  head  in  the  sun- 
light of  the  lonely  spot,  caught  his  eye,  and  at  sound 
of  hoofs  upon  the  windswept  summit  the  pleasant  pink 
face  turned  to  him,  alight  with  greeting. 

152 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  153 

"What  are  you  doing  up  here,  Mr.  Garnett?  "  asked 
Northmore,  leaning  out  to  speak  to  him. 

"  I'm — well,  since  you  ask,  I  think  I  must  have  been 
worshipping." 

"  I  didn't  mean  that,  of  course.  I  wanted  to  know  if 
you  were  here  without  a  buggy  so  that  I  might  have 
your  company  home." 

"  Yes,  indeed,  you  may.  I  was  waiting  for  the  nar- 
row-guage  train  to  take  me  home  all  the  way  round  by 
Mosely's — with  an  hour  yet  to  wait  for  it.  But  I 
wouldn't  mind  that — up  here  in  these  woods.  I  guess 
I'm  a  sort  of  pantheist.  I  do  literally  worship  here — 
and  I  sometimes  think  " —  his  face  lighted  with  solemn 
joy — "  that  I've  been  in  the  Eternal  presence.  I 
have  almost  talked  with  God." 

"  I  understand  perfectly.  I  come  to  the  hills  myself 
for  help  when  I'm  overwhelmed." 

"  It's  the  only  place  where  a  man  can  see  himself 
clearly.  I  tell  you,  Mr.  Northmore,  the  old  heathen 
got  a  good  deal  nearer  to  God  than  we  admit.  Their 
vocabulary  was  so  primitive  that  the  antiquarians  never 
got  at  the  soul  of  their  beliefs." 

"I  am  just  reaching  that  conclusion  myself;  you 
know  I  am  deep  in  myth  study — began  it  at  your  house 
• — and  I  find  it  illuminating.  As  you  say,  we  never  get 
the  hyponoia  of  myths — their  inner  meaning.  I  can 
read  into  most  of  them  a  crude  conception  of  God." 

"  In  the  Aryan  myths  ?  " 

"  Yes,  though  it  is  clearer  in  the  Semitic  myths. 
Their  monotheism  is  absolute.  The  Aryan  myths  are 


154  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

poetic  and  diffused;  they  are  full  of  demi-gods,  but 
behind  all  the  beautiful  imagery  is  the  conception  of 
Deity,  absolute  and  omnipotent." 

"  Aren't  you  afraid,  Mr.  Northmore?  " 

"Of  what?" 

"  Of  probing  too  far." 

"  What  is  the  danger?  " 

"  Of  running  down  your  own  doctrines  in  some  pagan 
myth." 

Northmore  flushed  consciously  and  Mr.  Garnett  has- 
tened to  add,  "  You're  doing  such  good  work  that  I 
should  hate  to  see  you  run  on  a  sharp  rock." 

"What  I  have  thus  far  found  is  to  the  contrary  ef- 
fect. That  the  pagans  found  God  in  natural  phenom- 
ena before  the  day  of  Revelation  is  the  tremendous 
proof.  It  is  like  the  appearance  of  the  eye  in  animal 
life  to  mark  the  first  flood  of  light  in  primeval  dark- 
ness. The  first  response  to  Deity  is  marked  by  savage 
myth." 

"  There's  no  danger  that  you  will  get  away  from 
Deity  anywhere  in  anthropology;  it  is  in  history  itself, 
the  mass  of  what  is  called  '  superstition '  in  early  times 
and  *  bigotry  '  in  modern,  that  will  trip  you  up.  Bigotry 
has  been  the  ball  and  chain  upon  moral  progress  since 
the  world  began.  It  is  the  ball  and  chain  upon  the  foot 
of  the  Church  right  now — when  every  force  of  the  age 
is  calling  for  freedom  of  thought.  But  it  is  necessary 
for  you  to  keep  within  your  bounds  if  you  are  to  con- 
tinue the  splendid  work  you  have  begun — and  if  you 
don't  stop  right  where  you  are,  you  will  run  upon  big- 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  155 

otry  so  near  home  it  will  paralyse  you.  Forewarned 
is  forearmed,  you  know." 

The  young  man  bristled :  "  Don't  you  think  the  true 
and  false  are  as  readily  separated  now  as  in  the  past?  " 

"  More  so.  That  is  exactly  your  danger.  You  will 
undermine  your  own  foundations." 

"  If  they're  so  slight  that  the  reading  of  open  history 
will  cave  them  in,  the  sooner  I  am  exposed  the  better. 
I  hope  I  know  the  difference  between  truth  and  bigotry." 

"  The  very  rock  I  struck.     Therefore  I  give  warn- 

ing." 

"  Just  what  is  your  definition  of  bigotry,  Mr.  Gar- 
nett?" 

"  The  adherance  to  ancient  theology  by  leaders  who 
would  not  tolerate  antique  methods  in  any  exact  science. 
As  well  go  back  to  Galileo  for  our  astronomy  or  Escu- 
lapius  for  our  medicine." 

"  The  great  religious  reformers  stood  on  mountain 
peaks  above  the  bigotry  of  their  day." 

"  So  they  did,  Mr.  Northmore,  and  all  honour  to  them 
forever — but  their  mountains  are  submerged  till  they 
are  hardly  islands  now.  Why  should  we  use  antiquated 
and  imperfect  standards  for  so  important  a  function  as 
morality,  when  every  force  of  the  time  calls  for  pro- 
gressive new  standards  to  keep  pace  with  the  rush  of 
the  world  in  all  other  ways?  John  Calvin  was  a  torch 
bearer  for  his  time,  but  his  followers  in  their  turn  clung 
to  his  rule  and  heaped  ignominy  upon  a  far  greater 
man  who  rose  to  deliver  them  a  century  later.  Voltaire 
was  reviled  by  the  bigotry  of  the  very  sects  for  whom 


156  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

he  gave  his  talent,  his  long  life,  and  his  fortune,  to  pre- 
vent their  utter  extermination.  That  is  one  instance. 
Religion  does  not  suffer,  but,  unfortunately,  it  is  the 
effete  theology  of  a  past  age  that  you  in  the  pulpit  have 
to  preach.  That  must  soon  go.  You  will  discover  that 
we  need  what  Voltaire's  age  needed — a  sloughing  off  of 
ancient  creeds,  a  crystallisation  of  truth — a  church  to 
God,  as  he  built  one.  The  moral  need  of  to-day  is  a 
new  statement  of  religious  tenets." 

'*  Ah !  "  said  Northmore,  with  his  long  breath,  "  then 
you  are  advising  me  to  pilot  my  people  through  a  chan- 
nel which  I  dare  not  chart  for  myself." 

"  Not  quite.  You  may  avoid  the  rocks  of  ages,  but 
you  can't  blast  them  out.  You  can  break  yourself  on 
them  and  ruin  your  chance  of  usefulness,  but  your  peo- 
ple wouldn't  tolerate  any  radical  advance  and  you 
couldn't  outgrow  your  church.  So,  steer  around  the 
rocks." 

"  At  the  cost  of  sincerity  ?  " 

Mr.  Garnett  laughed :  "  Well,  that's  a  question.  You 
are  sincere  now ;  keep  so  by  staying  where  you  are." 

They  had  reached  the  shoulder  of  Old  Whiteface  and 
the  horse  stopped  for  his  customary  rest  after  the  climb. 
The  warm  red  of  a  winter  sunset  glowed  behind  the 
hills  which  rose  in  great  scallops  against  it,  fringed 
with  bare  forests,  delicate  as  filaments  of  seaweed.  Both 
men  looked  down  upon  the  town  in  the  hollow  spanned 
by  the  filigree  of  high  trestles  between  the  lulls,  and 
Mr.  Garnett  pointed  to  his  pottery: 

"  Now,  what  a  fool  I  was  to  wander  off  on  the  inde- 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  157 

terminate  subject  of  theology  when  there's  one  at  my 
heart  that  I  really  wanted  to  talk  to  you  about !  The 
new  plans  have  come  and  I  want  you  to  see  them — for 
my  pet  building,  you  know.  I  think  they're  pretty 
nearly  what  we  wanted.  There's  no  reason  why  we 
can't  begin  upon  them  next  spring — and  I'm  impatient 
to  get  to  work." 

"  So  soon  as  that?  "  Northmore  roused  from  his 
abstraction,  glowing  with  interest.  "  I  hope  so.  Call 
upon  me  whenever  you  like." 

"  Oh,  I'm  going  to  do  that.  The  plan  is  largely 
yours  as  it  stands  now,  and  the  most  important  thing 
of  all,  the  management,  is  in  your  hands.  I  shall  feel 
that  I  haven't  lived  in  vain  if  I  can  see  that  building 
completed  and  in  running  order.  You  will  have  to 
watch  it  closely  for  the  first  five  years.  Everything  de- 
pends upon  the  start.  Can't  you  drive  round  to  the 
works  now  and  glance  at  the  plans  ?  " 

Northmore  did  so,  for  he  was  anxious  to  see  them. 
The  men  were  just  leaving  for  the  night,  and  he  noticed 
the  friendliness  with  which  they  welcomed  back  their 
employer  after  his  week  of  absence.  Mr.  Garnett  took 
him  up  to  a  small  private  room  which  he  had  never  seen 
before,  a  sanctum  adjoining  the  office.  He  glanced  in 
wonder  over  the  shelves  of  dignified  volumes. 

"What  a  tremendous  reader  you  are,  Mr.  Garnett! 
I  don't  wonder  that  you  have  broken  the  traces;  you 
have  run  the  whole  course.  From  Kant  to  Hegel  is  a  long 
leap ;  Fichte,  Descartes,  Schopenhauer — philosopher 
of  words ! "  He  ran  eagerly  through  the  next  case. 


158  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

"  Why,  you  have  a  whole  library  in  this.  I  wish  I  were 
familiar  with  them  all  myself — the  best  thought  of 
the  last  half  century — this  English  school — Herbert 
Spencer,  Huxley,  Tyndall,  Darwin,  Ward,  Lewes, 
Buckle,  John  Stuart  Mill — look  at  them! — and  only 
one  case.  Does  the  royal  company  run  clear  round  the 
room?  " 

"  See  for  yourself,"  and  Mr.  Garnett  made  the  only 
gesture  of  pride  his  friend  ever  saw  in  him.  "  Yes,  I 
have  some  rare  spirits  there.  I  have  to  be  here  all  the 
time  so  I  brought  them  over.  My  wife — there  are 
some  things  about  which  she  is  a  little  prejudiced  and — 
I  like  to  have  them  handy.  If  you  intend  to  go  on  with 
your  study  you'll  find  some  help  here — and  I  hope  you'll 
make  use  of  it." 

"Thank  you.  I  shall  avail  myself  of  that  privilege. 
I'm  going  to  begin  with  the  book  I  want  right  now,  Max 
Muller's  '  Veda.'  " 

"  Help  yourself — but  I  want  your  attention  now  for 
the  plans.  The  light  is  better  on  this  table." 

He  spread  out  the  blue  prints  and  they  spent  an  hour 
discussing  the  details,  over  which  both  grew  enthusias- 
tic. It  was  dark  when  they  put  on  their  overcoats  and 
went  down  to  the  door  together,  still  discussing  the  fu- 
ture building.  The  personality  of  Mr.  Garnett  had 
never  so  impressed  Northmore  before;  the  development 
of  his  resources,  his  unostentatious  scholarship,  his 
broad  and  tender  charity,  made  his  acquaintance  in  this 
unexpected  place  an  event  of  Northmore's  life. 

He  had  forgotten  in  his  absorption  to  take  the  vol- 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  159 

ume  of  Max  Muller,  and  went  back  after  it.  Mr.  Gar- 
nett  waited  for  him  at  the  door,  and  still  stood  there  as 
the  young  man  repeated  his  "  good-night  "  and  went  out 
into  the  clear,  soft  winter  night.  He  looked  back  as  he 
crossed  the  street.  A  flaring  light  in  front  illuminated 
the  genial  face  under  its  corona  of  beautiful  white  hair 
— the  figure  would  have  made  a  study  of  perfect  health. 
Northmore  lifted  his  hat  again  as  he  caught  Mr.  Gar- 
nett's  eye,  and  was  warned  of  a  broken  curb  at  the 
corner;  then  he  hurried  away,  congratulating  himself 
upon  the  richness  of  this  friendship. 


CHAPTER  XII 

As  he  fell  in  with  the  irregular  homeward-bound  pro- 
cession on  Main  Street,  his  mind  full  of  the  strong,  quiet 
personality  he  had  just  left,  and  his  courageous  scheme 
for  uplifting  the  standards  of  the  wicked  town  for  its 
youth,  one  brilliant  beacon  blazed  alluringly  through 
the  gloom  of  the  long  street,  the  red  and  blue'  light  of 
Fury's  drug  store.  The  rapidly  widening  circles  of 
Northmore's  mental  horizon  had  given  him  farther 
reaches  of  vision  and  made  him  sensitive  to  vicious  in- 
fluences unnoticed  before.  He  knew  something  of  the 
country  town  and  its  problem,  but  he  had  not  suspected 
how  difficult  of  solution  that  problem  was,  nor  how  im- 
portant. Thus  far  his  efforts  to  reach  the  young  peo- 
ple had  failed,  and  for  this  reason  he  entered  the  more 
heartily  into  Mr.  Garnett's  scheme,  which  he  believed 
would  be  a  successful  factor. 

He  had  tried  to  learn  where  the  half -grown  boys  and 
girls  found  amusement  and  spent  their  spare  evenings, 
for  he  knew  of  no  place  suitable  for  them.  As  he  reached 
the  door  of  Fury's  place  this  evening  he  saw  that  it  was 
crowded  with  the  very  class  in  his  thought,  and  as  he 
passed  two  boys  came  out  and  stumbled  against  him. 
He  stepped  back  laughing,  and  saying  that  he  was 
in  the  shadow,  when  he  saw  that  they  were  Mr.  Money- 
penny's  sons.  They  replied  reluctantly  and  started 
home,  when  he  noticed  that  the  younger  of  the  two  could 

160 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  161 

scarcely  walk,  and  was  leaning  on  his  brother.  He 
turned  after  them: 

"What  is  the  matter  with  Willie?"  he  asked. 

"  He  ain't  very  well,"  stammered  the  brother. 

"  Then  you  had  better  take  him  back  and  ask  Mr. 
Fury  to  see  what  ails  him.  Was  he  taken  sick  in  there  ?  " 
He  bent  over  the  little  fellow  anxiously :  "  Did  he 
get  a  soda — or  something  to  eat?  "  For  the  boy's  head 
had  fallen  helplessly  upon  his  brother's  shoulder.  Then 
the  minister  straightened  suddenly.  "  What  does  this 
mean,  Jamie?  Is  it  the  first  time  it  has  happened?  " 

"  Ye-es,  sir ;  no,  sir — I  don't  know.  Please  don't 
tell  father.  I  was  going  to  take  him  to  the  barn." 

"  Tell  me  how  it  happened,  James."  The  minister's 
tone  was  gentle,  but  it  had  a  compelling  quality. 

"  We  just  went  in  after  school  to  see  them  play  bil- 
liards on  the  new  table,  and  Mr.  Fury  said  he  would 
stand  treat  if  anybody  made  a  big  run — I  don't  know 
just  how  big  it  had  to  be — and  three  fellows  made  it. 
Then  he  brought  something  up  and  gave  it  to  them  to 
drink,  and  there  was  a  lot  of  us  kids  in  there,  and  he 
said,  '  It's  too  bad  to  leave  the  kids  out.  Come  on  and 
have  some,  too.'  I  asked  him  what  it  was  and  he  says, 
'  Oh,  it's  just  cider  and  I've  watered  it  well.'  It  was 
awful  strong,  though,  and  I  didn't  drink  all  mine,  and 
Willie  took  up  my  glass  and  drank  it.  And  it  made 
him — sick." 

"  Is  Mr.  Fury's  billiard  room  over  the  drug  store?  " 

"  It  ain't  Mr.  Fury's,  but  it's  over  his  store,  and  he's 
up  there  a  good  deal.  Both  the  Fury  boys  are  splendid 


162  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

players.  There's  another  room  where  there's  a  little 
table  for  pool." 

"  Does  Mr.  Fury  sell  these  drinks  himself?  " 

"  I  don't  know." 

"  Were  they  brought  into  the  billiard  room  ?  " 

"  No,  we  went  into  the  other  room,  the  hall,  you 
know,  Fury's  hall,  where  we  had  the  school  exhibition." 

"  I  am  going  home  with  you,  James — or — no,  I  will 
not  if  you  will  promise  to  take  Willie  home  and  tell 
your  father  just  what  you  have  told  me.  Will  you  do 
that?" 

"  I  don't  know.     Yes,  sir,  I  will." 

"  Very  well,  good-night." 

He  did  not  recognise  any  of  the  other  boys  who 
swarmed  down  from  the  stairway,  and  it  was  his  supper 
time,  so  Northmore  hurried  on,  waiting  a  moment  for 
Harrington  to  leave  his  empty  store  and  walk  home 
with  him.  He  could  not  understand  why  a  model  store 
should  go  without  trade  when  a  place  of  which  he  had 
just  learned  such  insidious  wrong  should  receive  the 
patronage  of  the  town.  He  knew  that  Harrington  was 
bitterly  discouraged,  and  was  almost  ready  to  give 
up  the  struggle. 

Supper  was  ready  and  Mrs.  Jernigan  stood  at  the 
window  watching  for  them.  She  turned  to  give  a  last 
look  out  at  the  darkness. 

"  You  didn't  see  anything  of  my  Ben,  did  you  ?  " 
she  asked,  and  Northmore  was  glad  to  answer  in  the 
negative.  Everyone  else  was  so  preoccupied  during 
the  meal  that  Mr.  Jernigan  indulged  in  a  continuous 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  163 

argument  with  himself  on  the  fallacy  of  geometry  in 
particular  and  a  high-school  education  in  general,  citing 
his  own  wisdom  as  a  sufficient  example  of  his  position 
in  the  matter.  When  he  was  left  alone  with  Mrs. 
Jernigan  for  a  moment,  afterwards,  Northmore  asked 
abruptly,  "  What  sort  of  man  is  Mr.  Fury?  " 

"  Joe  Fury  ?  Oh,  I  can't  tell  you.  He  is  the  pleas- 
antest  man  in  town.  He  smiles  and  smiles,  and  his  smile 
is  the  worst  thing  about  him.  He  would  smile  like  that 
if  you  was  bein'  torn  to  pieces  before  him.  His  heart 
is  as  hard  as  the  old  greyhead  out  there.  He's  won- 
derfully popular  with  the  boys,  chaffs  with  them — makes 
fun  of  them,  too,  if  they're  too  good,  and  nothing  kills 
a  boy  like  that." 

"  What's  the  reason  that  people  don't  patronise 
Mr.  Harrington?  " 

"  One  reason  is  that  Joe  Fury's  got  some  hold  on  most 
people,  one  way  or  another,  and  he  says  little  things 
about  Mr.  Harrington  that  hurt  him." 

"What  can  he  say?" 

"  One  thing  is  that  he's  a  Unitarian,  the  only  one 
in  town.  He's  got  Mrs.  Garnett  down  on  Mr.  Harring- 
ton for  that.  They  both  say  it  would  be  more  honest 
to  be  an  infidel  out  and  out,  that  that's  no  religion  at 
all.  It  would  be  better  for  Mr.  Harrington  if  he 
wasn't  anything." 

"  But  Mr.  Harrington  attends  our  church  regularly." 

"  Yes,  I  know  he  does,  but  he  doesn't  join  it.  Some 
folks  thinks  he  goes  there  on  Silence  Garnett's  account, 
but  I  don't  believe  that." 


164  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

"  And  do  you  mean  to  say  that  there  are  people  in 
this  age  who  would  refuse  to  deal  with  a  man  -on  that 
account  ?  " 

"Lots  of  'em,  just  as  the  situation  is.  And  Joe 
Fury  works  that  hard." 

"Is  he  considered  straight  in  his  own  business?" 

"  No,  I  don't  think  he's  straight,  but  he's  that  kind 
that  you  can't  prove  a  thing  on.  I  wouldn't  trust  Joe 
Fury  with  a  ten-cent  piece.  I  don't  think  anything 
would  stop  him  from  crookedness.  I'm  sure  of  that — 
but  he's  popular,  and  everybody  is  half  afraid  of  his 
laugh." 

The  minister  went  up  to  his  room  to  try  to  work 
something  out  of  the  tangle  of  affairs  which  had  woven 
round  him,  but  found  Harrington  standing  before  the 
blazing  grate. 

"  I  was  too  lonesome  to  stay  in  my  own  room,  and 
there  is  no  need  of  my  going  back  to  the  store,  so  I 
have  come  in  to  bother  you  for  a  while.  Are  you  going 
to  write  a  sermon?" 

"  No,  although  I  have  a  text  for  one.  Why  don't 
you  put  on  your  slippers  and  sit  down.  I  have  a  basket 
of  the  finest  pears  you  ever  saw.  My  good  people  keep 
me  supplied  with  fruit  of  the  choicest." 

"  Thank  you,  I  will.  I  want  to  talk  over  my  affairs 
a  bit,  if  you  don't  mind.  I  need  some  help — if  only  a 
listener." 

He  crossed  to  his  own  room  and  soon  both  had  re- 
laxed into  slippers  and  house  jackets  and  were  stretched 
luxuriously  before  the  fire  with  a  heaping  plate  of 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  165 

pears  on  the  table  between  them.  They  were  talking 
commonplaces  as  a  sort  of  stairway  to  the  more  diffi- 
cult confidences  of  ill  luck,  when  the  violent  ringing  of 
the  doorbell  arrested  their  attention,  as  well  as  the  ex- 
cited voice  which  they  heard  in  the  hall  below.  Then 
someone  pounded  up  the  steps  and  thumped  the  door, 
as  though  in  alarm. 

"  Mis'  Garnett  wants  you  to  come  over  right  quick, 
Mr.  Northmore,"  gasped  Genevieve,  breathlessly. 

''What  for?  What's  the  matter?"  both  men  spoke 
at  once. 

"  Mr.  Garnett's  sick,  I  think." 

Harrington  was  ready  by  the  time  that  Northmore 
had  flung  on  his  coat :  "  There  might  be  something  for 
me  to  do,"  he  said.  "  I  am  going  with  you." 

The  distance  was  so  short  that  they  reached  the 
red  brick  house  before  the  doctor,  and  Northmore 
led  the  way  back  to  the  familiar  sitting-room  as  soon 
as  the  terrified  maid  admitted  him.  Mr.  Garnett  lay 
upon  the  couch  breathing  heavily.  Northmore  took 
his  watch  and  dropped  his  fingers  upon  the  lax  wrist 
with  such  a  professional  manner  that  the  women 
watched  him  with  intense  faces.  Silence  knelt  at  her 
father's  side  with  her  arms  around  him;  the  young 
man  pushed  her  gently  aside  while  he  opened  the  cloth- 
ing to  listen  at  the  heart.  As  he  lifted  his  face  again 
she  met  his  eyes  and  read  their  alarm.  She  got  to  her 
feet  and  fell  forward  with  a  low  cry.  Quick  as  he  was, 
it  was  not  Northmore  who  caught  her,  but  his  friend, 
who  carried  her  to  the  next  room,  and  applied  a  restora- 


166  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

tive  while  the  others  bent  in  wild  anxiety  over  the  un- 
conscious form  on  the  couch,  waiting  for  a  sign  of  re- 
turning life.  The  three  doctors  arrived  together, 
the  Old  Doctor,  Doctor  Tommy,  and  little  Benny 
Myers,  the  homeopathic  doctor,  who  was  a  neighbour. 
They  examined  the  silent  form  and  exchanged  glances. 
Little  Benny  Myers  stood  aloof  until  invited  by  the  Old 
Doctor's  eyes  to  speak.  He  had  known  the  Old  Doctor 
from  his  babyhood,  and  though  they  were  profession- 
ally at  sword's  points,  they  were  personally  the  best  of 
friends. 

Suddenly  Mr.  Garnett  opened  his  eyes  as  if  waking 
from  a  happy  dream.  "  Bring  her  here,  Harrington," 
commanded  the  minister  sharply.  Harrington  almost 
carried  the  girl  to  her  father's  side;  he  looked  up  at 
her  with  a  conscious,  loving  smile,  and  closed  his  eyes 
peacefully  with  a  long  sigh.  Harrington  supported 
Silence  back  to  the  next  room,  and  the  minister  took 
Mrs.  Garnett's  ice-cold  hand  in  his.  She  was  per-1 
fectly  collected. 

"  Don't  tell  me — not  yet,"  she  begged,  warning  him 
aside. 

Then  she  fell  on  her  knees  beside  her  husband  and 
took  the  limp  hands  in  hers  with  a  bitter  cry:  "Oh, 
my  dear!  Oh,  my  dear!  And  you  were  not  ready! 
It  is  more  than  I  can  bear ! " 

Northmore  was  instantly  beside  her,  whispering  com- 
forting words ;  no  one  could  do  more  for  her.  They 
did  not  need  to  tell  her  that  she  was  a  widow,  for  she 
knew  it  as  well  as  they.  Gently  the  minister  lifted 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  167 

her  to  her  feet  and  led  her  to  her  daughter,  coming 
back  himself  to  stand  in  stunned  grief  beside  the  life- 
less form  of  the  friend  whom  he  had  left  but  two  hours 
before  in  the  bloom  of  health  and  manly  vigour. 

The  blow  had  fallen  so  suddenly  that  those  present 
were  paralysed;  they  could  scarcely  grasp  its  awful 
fact.  Outside,  the  news  blew  over  the  town  like  a 
summer  storm,  and  before  many  minutes  the  house 
was  full  of  awe-stricken,  sorrowing  people,  eager  to 
render  some  service  to  one  who  appeared  to  have  been 
the  friend  of  each.  One  of  the  first  to  arrive  was 
Mrs.  Jernigan,  in  her  gingham  apron,  her  hands  still 
moist  from  the  supper  dishpan,  carrying  old  flannel 
and  her  camphor  bottle.  It  was  she  who  led  Mrs.  Gar- 
nett  to  her  bed  at  midnight;  she  who  brought  Silence 
out  of  her  long  fainting  fit,  and  cuddled  her  like  a 
baby,  until,  toward  morning,  the  poor  girl  sobbed  her- 
self to  sleep  on  that  motherly  breast. 

When  the  house  was  at  last  quiet,  Northmore  went 
out  into  the  cold  purity  of  the  transparent  night,  and 
walked  uncertainly,  not  in  the  direction  of  his  home,  but 
through  the  town  and  over  the  saddle  to  the  spot  where 
he  had  parted  with  his  friend.  He  was  shaken  to  his 
foundations  by  the  shock,  not  only  of  personal  loss,  but 
of  the  obliteration  of  the  vision  of  widened  usefulness 
in  co-operation  with  Mr.  Garnett  which  he  had  barely 
glimpsed  before  it  was  dashed  from  him.  The  pottery 
hamlet  was  wrapped  in  silence  as  a  soft  garment  as 
he  stood  under  the  same  lamp  which  had  illuminated 
the  genial  pink  face  at  nightfall.  The  form  rose 


168  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

before  him  in  the  doorway  so  vividly  that  it  seemed 
to  be  real,  while  he  was  sure  that  the  delicate  white 
mask  lying  in  dreamless  slumber  upon  its  last  couch 
must  be  a  fabric  of  his  imagination.  He  stood  for  a 
long  time  in  the  solemn  silence  before  he  went  back  to 
his  room,  where  the  dawn  found  him  sitting  with  bowed 
head  over  his  table,  before  a  burned-out  fire. 

It  was  a  hard  task  for  him  to  go  back  to  the  desolated 
house  that  day,  but  he  did  so  shortly  before  noon,  and 
confronted  Elijah  Sims  just  coming  from  the  door. 
Northmore  had  not  met  him  since  the  Hallowe'en  epi- 
sode, though  he  had  seen  him  at  church  once  or  twice, 
for  the  habit  of  years  was  strong  and  the  old  man's 
isolation  drove  him  to  his  accustomed  place  rather  than 
any  feeling  of  friendliness.  The  minister  extended  his 
hand  and  it  was  taken. 

"  This  is  a  bad  occurrence,  Mr.  Northmore."  North- 
more  winced  at  the  hardness  of  the  slow  speech.  "  Sis- 
ter Garnett  feels  it  deeply.  I  think  there's  nothing 
sadder  than  a  man  who's  ben  knowing  to  the  means 
of  grace  all  his  life,  bein'  taken  unawares  like  this.  '  Be 
ye  also  ready,'  that's  what  I  was  jest  sayin'  to  Sister 
Garnett.  I  feel  to  rejoice  that  I  walked  in  the  way  of 
salvation  when  I  was  young,  for  '  the  Son  of  Man  cometh 
when  no  man  knoweth,'  and  I  don't  make  any  excuse 
for  Proctor  Garnett,  not  a  bit.  He  meant  to  make  his 
peace  at  the  'leventh  hour,  but  he  was  took  at  the  tenth. 
The  young  people  of  this  town  ought  to  take  warnin* 
at  his  example,  fur  they  air  a  reckless  lot.  It  ought  to 
be  pinted  out  to  them." 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  169 

"  Do  I  understand  that  you  expressed  this  to  Mrs. 
Garnett  ?  "  demanded  the  minister. 

"  Why,  yes,  I  had  some  conversation  with  her.  I 
called  in  to — to  sympathise  with  her.  I  tole  her  she 
hadn't  nothing  to  reproach  herself  fur;  she's  laboured 
with  him  in  season  an'  out.  We  all  know  that.  I  tole 
her  the  only  thing  she  could  do  now  was  to  pint  this  as 
a  warnin'  to  her  daughter  and  save  her  while  it  was  yet 
time.  Silence  ain't  never  ben  hearty — an'  it's  a  good 
thing  to  hev  an  example  like  this  now  an'  agin." 

The  young  man  turned  away  abruptly  with  an  in- 
dignant light  in  his  eyes.  Yet  as  he  rang  the  muffled 
bell,  resolving  to  cheer  away  that  barbaric  visitation,  it 
flashed  upon  him  that  Elijah  Sims  had  been  only  literal 
— cruelly  and  consistently  literal — but  no  worse.  What 
could  he  say  to  a  rigid  literalist  like  Mrs.  Garnett  that 
would  be  consistent?  She  met  him  with  a  sorrow  in 
her  ash-grey  face  that  was  inexorable,  absolute.  Her 
austere  nature  knew  no  compromise;  her  overwhelming 
personal  loss  was  subservient  to  the  awful  penalty  of 
her  creed.  Northmore  pleaded  the  amelioration  of 
her  husband's  splendid  record.  She  turned  upon  him 
severely. 

"  Mr.  Northmore,  there  is  no  temporising  with  God. 
I  have  been  taught  from  my  earliest  childhood  that  if 
a  man  is  not  saved — he  is  lost.  There  is  no  half-way 
course." 

"  But  your  husband  was  a  Christian,  Mrs.  Garnett, 
even  if  he  made  no  formal  profession.  He  did  not  need 
one." 


170  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

"  He  had  no  evidence  of  saving  grace  in  his  heart. 
He  had  never  sought  any.  He  died  out  of  the  church 
— as  he  had  lived." 

"  But  he  believed  in  God,  and  his  life  was  that  of  a 
Christian.  If  that  is  not  worthy  in  the  sight  of  the 
Just  Judge,  what  can  any  man  hope  for?  " 

"  Don't  try  to  comfort  me  with  what  we  both  know 
cannot  be.  I  am  not  a  child  to  catch  at  a  false  hope. 
When  you  tell  me  that  one  who  rejected  the  means  of 
salvation  all  his  life  is  saved,  you  are  telling  me  that 
the  Bible  is  false,  and  Christ's  death  for  us  on  the  cross 
was  useless.  No,  you  need  not  say  that.  Mr.  Gar- 
nett's  outward  life  was  beyond  reproach,  but  he  was  an 
infidel  at  heart.  He  read  infidel  books — and  believed 
them.  My  burden  is  indeed  heavy,  but  I  must  bear  it  to 
the  end.  The  only  thing  you  can  do  for  me  is  to  help 
me  save  my  child." 

"  Mrs.  Garnett,  this  is  simply  awful.  I  preach  no 
such  doctrine.  I  know  that  Mr.  Garnett  proclaimed 
the  tenets  of  his  religion  by  deeds  instead  of  words.  I 
don't  know  what  faith  it  was,  but  I  do  know  that  it  was 
vital." 

"  No,  no.  He  never  accepted  the  efficacy  of  the 
Atonement  to  take  away  sin,  and  he  held  that  a  man 
should  make  no  profession  that  his  life  did  not  forestall. 
He  was  brought  up  a  Hicksite  Quaker,  and  Elias  Hicks 
was  an  infidel.  He  denied  the  power  of  Christ's  blood 
to  wash  away  sin." 

The  finality  of  her  tone  precluded  the  offering  of  any 
palliating  compromise.  The  young  man  was  dumb,  not 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  171 

daring  to  offer  a  still  more  urgent  protest  against 
the  bigotry  which  cast  an  aspersion  upon  the  blameless 
record  of  the  sleeper  in  the  next  room.  He  had  no 
logical  artillery  for  a  mind  impregnable  to  reasonable 
evidence,  yet  he  could  not  bear  to  leave  such  hopelessness 
uncheered,  while  he  dreaded  the  reflex  effect  of  the 
mother's  conviction  upon  the  daughter  whom  he  had 
protected  as  far  as  possible.  He  asked  for  her,  but  she 
had  not  risen,  and  after  another  futile  attempt  at  con- 
solation, he  went  away,  walking  down  the  street  in  sad 
humility  of  spirit.  Only  twice  had  his  priestly  office 
of  comforter  been  called  into  requisition,  and  twice  he 
had  failed  to  fulfil  it.  Ellis  had  assailed  him  because 
he  represented  his  church.  His  own  parishioner  had 
assailed  him  because  he  did  not.  Where  did  he  stand? 
He  found  himself  walking  in  the  familiar  direction 
of  the  pottery,  drawn  by  a  sense  of  responsibility  to  see 
that  all  was  well  there,  and  by  a  desire  to  visit  again  the 
spot  where  he  had  last  seen  the  friend  who  had  sown 
seeds  in  his  mind  that  were  already  germinating.  He 
was  sensitive  to  subtle  influences  this  morning,  and  it 
struck  him  that  he  would  have  known  the  nature  of 
calamity  which  had  befallen  the  town  if  he  had  come 
into  it  a  stranger.  In  the  subdued  groups  of  people 
on  corners  and  in  doorways,  in  the  unusual  quiet  of 
the  Indian  summer  day,  in  suspended  business,  in  grave 
faces  that  met  him, — even  in  the  children's  silence, — he 
read  the  sorrow  of  universal  bereavement.'  But  he  was 
hardly  prepared  by  all  of  this  for  the  emotion  of  the 
workmen  at  the  pottery.  The  many-windowed  building 


173  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

was  closed,  and  only  such  kilns  as  were  already  fired 
were  burning;  the  hush  of  dire  disaster  lay  upon  the 
place,  where  men  were  gathered  with  pale  faces  and 
women  wept  softly  in  corners. 

Mrs.  Garnett's  condemnation  of  her  husband  had  sent 
his  friend  away  with  keen  regret  that  the  good  man  had 
not  vindicated  himself  upon  this  one  vital  count  which 
must  now  stand  forever  against  him,  but  when  North- 
more  saw  the  size  of  the  vacancy  he  had  left,  he  knew 
that  it  measured  a  great  man.  Just  where,  between  the 
two  standards,  lay  the  true  balance,  he  wondered.  He 
went  up  to  the  private  room  where  they  had  last  talked, 
and  felt  that  it  still  vibrated  with  the  presence  he  had 
known  there  in  its  large  manhood.  He  suddenly  saw 
the  strong  character  with  an  individuality  of  purpose 
too  defined  to  be  fitted  into  any  but  an  individual  creed, 
a  character  with  the  high  courage  to  live  its  individu- 
ality alone.  He  took  off  his  hat  and  stood  silent  a 
moment  in  the  presence  so  real  that  he  seemed  to  hear 
the  hearty  voice  again. 

Two  days  later  the  town  poured  around  his  church — 
for  only  three  or  four  hundred  women  could  get  inside 
— and  paid  the  tribute  of  grief  to  their  townsman. 
When  the  majestic  words  that  are  said  for  the  dead  had 
rolled  forth  in  his  rich  tenor,  Northmore  closed  the 
Bible  and  stood  mute  for  a  moment,  while  a  long  in- 
drawn sigh  went  around  the  room.  Then  his  words 
rang  out  in  no  uncertain  tone: 

"  We  are  come  together  to  honour  a  life  which 
recorded  itself  in  deeds,  not  words ;  a  faith  which 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  173 

needed  no  other  profession  than  its  living;  a  religion 
that  knew  in  God,  the  Father,  and  in  Man,  the  Brother. 
We  have  come  to  rejoice  that  it  was  our  privilege  to 
witness  such  a  life;  to  mourn  our  loss  that  its  earthly 
course  is  ended." 

In  silence  broken  only  by  grief,  he  gave  a  short 
sketch  of  the  events  of  Proctor  Garnett's  years  on 
earth. 


CHAPTER    XIII 

As  early  the  next  morning  as  he  thought  proper,  North- 
more  called  at  the  red  brick  house  to  ask  how  he  might 
be  of  use;  to  his  surprise  it  was  Mr.  Firestone  who 
opened  the  door  for  him  with  the  air  of  a  resident. 

"  You  are  staying  here?  "  asked  the  pastor  quickly. 

"  Yes,  I  thought  I  might  be  some  protection  to  the 
ladies  for  the  present,  and  there  are  many  ways  in 
which  a  man  is  needed  in  this  time  of  trouble." 

Northmore  walked  into  the  familiar  living  room  and 
took  his  favourite  chair.  The  grate  fire  was  burning 
tranquilly  and  the  mild  December  sunshine  made  a  little 
summer  of  the  window  plants.  Mr.  Firestone  also 
seated  himself  with  a  sort  of  permanence,  and  Northmore 
said: 

"  I  came  over  to  see  what  there  might  be  to  do ;  I 
hope  that  something  is  left  for  me.  How  are  they — 
how  is  Miss  Garnett?  She  was  prostrated  last  night 
by  the  shock." 

"  I  haven't  seen  her,  she  hasn't  been  down  this  morn- 
ing at  all,  but  I  should  say  that  she  will  recover  sooner 
than  her  mother.  The  young  are  elastic — and  the 
awful  truths  do  not  seem  to  be  realised  by  this  genera- 
tion. But  I  tell  you  that  Mrs.  Garnett  has  a  sorrow! 
The  circumstances  were  awful — not  one  moment  of 
warning — not  one  act  of  preparation;  I  was  astounded 

174 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  175 

to  learn  that  no  prayer  was  offered  for  the  dying  man 
in  the  few  moments  that  might  have  been  so  used.  But 
I  hope  that  the  lesson  will  work  a  change  of  heart  in 
Silence." 

Northmore  turned  upon  him  with  asperity :  "  It  is 
not  for  us,  you  and  me,  to  pronounce  sentence  upon 
such  a  man  as  Mr.  Garnett.  God  is  sufficient  to  do  him 
justice." 

Firestone  flung  back  the  rebuke :  "  It  was  doubtless 
God's  purpose  to  waken  the  daughter  from  her  stubborn 
apathy." 

"  I  hope  that  you're  not  going  to  suggest  such  a 
thing  to  her?  "  Northmore' s  tone  was  a  note  of  alarm. 

"  No  better  time  for  that  will  ever  come." 

"  I  beg  you  to  remember,  Mr.  Firestone,  that  I  am 
her  minister  and  responsible  to  that  extent  for  her 
spiritual  welfare.  I  most  strenuously  object  to  any 
mention  of  the  subject  in  that  light." 

Firestone   reddened   visibly :     "  Her    mother   knows 
your  position  in  this  matter,  and  feels  that  it  will  be 
a  great  mistake  not  to  use  the  opportunity.     And  you 
are  aware  that  I  have  a  personal  interest  stronger  than 
that  of  her  pastor." 

"  But  you  would  not — surely  you  would  not  take  ad- 
vantage of — of  such  a  sorrow  for  the — advancement  of 
personal  interests,"  pleaded  Northmore,  with  visible  re- 
straint of  tone  and  manner. 

"  No,  of  course  not.  I  am  not  wholly  selfish,  Mr. 
Northmore,  and  I  would  not  do  that — if  it  were  my 
personal  interest  that  was  in  the  balance.  I  feel  that  it 


176  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

is  a  matter  of  duty.  I  must  return  in  a  short  time  to 
my  station.  I  must  not  go  alone.  The  Lord  has  led 
me  to  Silence  Garnett,  but  she  will  not  read  the  message 
aright ;  it  is  no  mere  fancy ;  we — she  and  I — have  no 
right  to  consult  our  personal  preference  when  the  Lord 
calls.  I  do  not.  I  have  loved  once  too  well  to  give 
her  the — place  that  is  not  yet  empty.  That  is  why  I 
can  urge  duty  upon  another.  I  fulfil  it  myself." 

Northmore  stared  at  him,  but  made  no  reply.  He 
did  not  dare  to  express  himself.  Mrs.  Garnett  came 
down  soon,  and  it  developed  that  there  was  a  way  in 
which  he  could  be  invaluable.  Mr.  Garnett  had  been 
the  mainspring  of  his  business,  its  brain  and  bone.  No 
one  was  in  training  to  take  his  place ;  his  wife  knew  of 
no  person  who  could  even  look  over  his  affairs — unless 
Northmore  would  advise  her — or  would  do  it  himself. 
Would  he?  She  knew  that  he  had  had  business  experi- 
ence ;  she  also  knew  that  her  husband  had  talked  to  him 
of  personal  affairs  more  than  to  anyone  else.  Other- 
wise the  works  must  shut  down  for  lack  of  a  head. 

Northmore  knew  that  he  would  have  been  her  hus- 
band's choice,  and  though  it  was  a  curiously  incon- 
gruous blending  of  occupations,  he  gladly  consented  to 
take  the  supervision  of  the  business  until  something 
could  be  decided  upon,  a  task  for  which  his  rigid  early 
training  had  fitted  him  far  better  than  Mrs.  Garnett 
suspected. 

He  took  charge  the  next  morning  and  found,  as  he 
had  expected,  that  the  factory  was  in  such  excellent 
running  order,  the  workmen  so  competent  and  reliable, 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  177 

and  the  system  so  methodical  that  only  a  manager  was 
needed  and  that,  after  the  first  few  days,  he  would  not 
have  to  give  too  much  time  to  it.  There  were  spring 
orders  to  be  filled,  and  to  shut  down  meant  such  disaster 
to  all  concerned  that  it  was  urgent  to  keep  the  pottery 
running.  He  sent  what  books  he  needed  over  to  Mr. 
Garnett's  private  room  in  the  building,  and  devoted  him- 
self with  such  energy  to  his  double  vocation  that  both 
functions  were  well  performed.  He  expected  to  be 
criticised,  but,  to  his  surprise,  his  prompt  and  efficient 
action  met  with  universal  satisfaction.  Northmore  was 
rapidly  being  assimilated  by  Mogadonia.  His  congre- 
gations had  reached  the  point  where  people  went  simply 
because  seats  were  hard  to  get,  and  one  must  go  early. 
He  was  reminded  that  the  time  was  ripe  for  a  good  old- 
fashioned  revival ;  he  wondered  if  the  preservation  of  the 
model  village,  the  continuation  of  Proctor  Garnett's 
life  work,  could  rank  in  importance  with  his  spiritual 
field,  yet  he  did  feel  that  it  was  of  sufficient  need  to  be 
preserved  at  any  cost  of  effort.  It  was  to  him  a  direct 
and  sacred  trust. 

There  was  a  selfish  advantage  in  the  demand  upon  his 
time  and  thought.  Florida  Morgan  had  gone  home 
with  her  friend  to  spend  the  early  winter — and  this  was 
the  opportunity  to  recover  from  the  madness  of  the 
autumn,  to  put  her  completely  out  of  his  life.  There- 
fore he  resolutely  ignored  the  unforgettable  face  that 
would  come  between  his  eyes  and  the  page  of  order  book, 
sermon,  or  ancient  history;  he  stifled  the  longing  for 
her  voice  that  rose  in  him  when  some  girlish  cadence 


178  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

would  repeat  a  phrase  forever  graven  in  his  memory; 
he  would  turn  with  redoubled  energy  to  his  work  when 
the  deep,  sweet  eyes  suddenly  looked  into  his  from  the 
embers  of  his  evening  fire,  resolved  that  he  was  now 
beyond  their  witchery,  yet  the  chance  hearing  of  her 
name,  or  the  sight  of  a  place  with  which  she  was  asso- 
ciated, would  choke  him  with  the  plunging  of  his  heart. 
Yet  he  set  his  will  as  steel  to  crush  out  this  futile 
passion. 

One  benefit  of  his  business  entanglement  was  to  bring 
him  into  relation  with  the  young  people  of  the  town,  and 
to  burden  his  conscience  with  a  closer  responsibility 
for  their  welfare.  He  was  glad  to  see  a  growing  at- 
tendance at  his  Sunday  School,  and  at  the  evening 
service,  but  his  optimistic  feeling  had  scarcely  anchored 
upon  this  indication,  when  it  was  wrenched  loose  by  an 
occurrence  which  swept  him  out  to  sea. 

The  first  snow  of  the  mild  season  fell  on  the  Friday 
before  Christmas,  a  real  wintry  snow  heavy  enough  for 
the  rare  sport  of  sleighing.  The  two  Fury  boys  gave 
an  invitation  to  their  respective  classes  in  the  high 
school  to  go  for  a  bob  ride  to  an  old-fashioned  roadside 
tavern  a  few  miles  from  Mogadonia  on  the  Jackson 
pike.  The  house  was  kept  by  a  cousin  of  their  father, 
who  really  owned  it,  and  the  host  was  a  genial  landlord 
of  a  disappearing  type,  whose  chicken  suppers  made  the 
place  an  objective  point  for  parties  from  all  the  sur- 
rounding towns.  It  was  a  great  event  for  the  pupils 
fortunate  enough  to  be  included  in  the  invitation,  among 
whom  were  the  Jernigan  children,  who  had  never  known 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  179 

a  greater  dissipation  than  the  annual  Sunday  School 
picnic  at  the  Raven  Rocks,  and  who  dressed  for  the  ride 
in  their  pathetic  best.  Northmore,  coming  home  to 
supper  from  the  pottery,  wondered  at  the  skill  with 
which  their  mother  kept  these  children  neat  on  her  im- 
possible resources,  to  which  he  devised  means  of  deli- 
cately adding  a  bit  now  and  then ;  he  helped  more  than 
he  knew,  in  fact,  for  he  never  suspected  that  Genevieve 
Pearl's  trim  Eton  jacket  was  made  of  the  coat  he  had 
contributed  to  the  rag  carpet,  nor  that  her  felt  hat  was 
an  old  soft  one  of  his  blocked  over,  nor  that  the  silk 
collar  and  cuffs  of  her  sailor  blouse  had  been  his 
umbrella,  nor  that  Ben  in  the  same  way  owed  him  a 
whole  suit.  He  stepped  to  the  window  with  their 
mother  to  watch  the  noisy  start,  feeling  something  of 
her  pride  in  them.  He  had  grown  fond  of  the  Jerni- 
gans,  and  listened  with  patience  to  the  even  grind  of 
the  father's  voice  at  the  supper  table  as,  with  a  red 
pillow  in  the  back  of  his  chair,  he  was  discoursing — 
"  'Way  back  in  seventy-nine — or  was  it  eighty  ? — I  mind 
when  there  was  a  sleighin'  snow  the  Friday  before 
Christmas " 

"  Give  Mr.  Northmore  the  second  j  int,  pa ;  he  don't 
eat  white  meat." 

"  — An'  a  passel  of  men  was  here  puttin'  up  tele- 
graft  poles,  an'  I  says  to  them " 

"  They  was  telephone  poles,  pa.  We  had  telegraft 
long  'fore  that." 

"  — Says  I,  '  Now  so  much  f  oolin'  with  'lectricity's 
goin'  to  affect  the  cli '  " 


180  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

"  Pass  them  sweet  potaters,  pa.  You'd  let  him 
starve  if  you  got  too  deep  in  science." 

"  '  — The  climate ' — you've  took  sech  a  little  one,  Mr. 
Northmore ;  take  that  end  one — and  they  laughed  fit  to 
kill,  but  I  jest  took  an'  old  ledger  and  begin  to " 

"  Hold  that  plate  straight,  pa ;  you're  pourin'  gravy 
on  the  table  cloth " 

" — Put  down  the  kind  o'  weather  we've  hed  ever 
sence " 

"  Don't  give  me  the  ging  and  wizard.  You  know  I 
like  a  leg,  second  helpin',  pa." 

"  — A — an'  ef  I'd  only  thought  to  put  down  the 
weather  before  all  this  'lectricity  was  turned  loose,  I 
could  prove  how  much  effect  it's  had  on  the  climate — 
but  I  ain't  got  the  figgers,  you  see.  But  I  know,  all 
the  same." 

"  Now,  pa,  you've  settled  that,  do  eat  yore  supper 
so's  I  can  get  the  dishes  done  up  early." 

Northmore  had  an  extra  task  that  evening,  and  he 
worked  in  the  unwonted  quiet  of  the  house  until  the 
sound  of  uneasy  footfalls  below  reminded  him  of  the 
lateness  of  the  hour.  He  put  away  his  books,  when  it 
occurred  to  him  that  he  hadn't  heard  the  children  come 
home,  and  then,  hearing  their  mother's  restless  move- 
ments, he  went  downstairs  to  ask  the  reason  of  her 
anxiety.  She  told  him  that  it  was  a  very  bad  bit  of 
road  and  that  the  late  hour  worried  her.  He  offered  to 
go  and  see  if  anything  had  been  heard  of  the  party,  and 
she  was  glad  to  have  him.  It  was  after  one  o'clock. 

As  he  went  down  town  he  saw  a  light  in  every  house 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  181 

from  which  a  child  was  missing,  and  met  several  men  on 
his  own  errand.  No  one  had  heard  from  the  party,  and 
no  one  had  gone  to  meet  them.  He  went  back  to  Mrs. 
Jernigan  and  told  her  that  he  would  get  a  horse  and 
go  in  search. 

"  Oh,  if  you  just  will!  "  she  cried  gratefully.  "  My 
Ben  was  never  out  till  'leven  o'clock  in  his  life  before — 
and  I  bet  the  other  women  are  wild  about  their  children, 
too.  There's  been  many  an  accident  on  the  steep  road 
down  Saddleback  in  broad  daylight — and  folks  have 
been  killed  there." 

The  sleepy  hostler  told  Northmore  that  almost  every 
man  in  town  had  been  there  to  ask  if  they  had  heard 
anything  of  the  teams  which  carried  the  party.  The 
minister  galloped  his  horse  at  perilous  speed  over  the 
soundless,  slippery  road,  and  reached  the  summit  of 
Saddleback  without  finding  a  trace  of  the  young  people. 
Just  over  the  level  he  met  the  foremost  sled,  its  driver 
drooping  and  swaying  so  helplessly  that  a  jolt  would 
have  pitched  him  from  his  seat.  The  reins  were  drag- 
ing  from  his  hands,  and  the  horses  were  going  home  at 
their  pleasure,  which  they  could  do  in  safety  as  long  as 
they  were  on  the  level  or  climbing  a  slope.  The  sudden 
apparition  of  a  horseman  from  the  still  darkness  fright- 
ened them,  and  they  leaped  forward  and  started  down 
the  dangerous  incline  at  full  speed,  the  heavy  sled  on 
their  heels.  Northmore  wheeled  and  galloped  after 
them,  reaching  for  the  bridle  of  the  near  horse,  which 
shied  away  to  the  brink  of  the  sheer  precipice  and  along 
the  edge  at  mod  speed,  before  he  could  catch  the  strap, 


182  ALTARS   TO   MAMMON 

and  it  took  the  strength  of  his  iron  grasp  to  guide  the 
frightened  span  into  the  road  again.  It  was  now  im- 
possible to  check  them  upon  the  steep  declivity ;  he  could 
only  keep  up  with  them  and  steer  them  to  the  foot,  round 
the  sharp  curve,  where  the  sled  rose  on  one  runner,  over 
the  bridge  and  up  the  opposite  slope,  where  the  weight 
of  their  load  brought  them  to  a  willing  halt,  trembling 
and  sweating.  Northmore  left  them  standing  while  he 
galloped  back  to  meet  the  next  sled  before  it  should  get 
to  the  danger  point.  The  third  was  following  this 
closely,  its  driver  appearing  to  be  able  to  control  it 
after  Northmore  had  shaken  him  up  and  told  him  of 
the  danger.  The  second  driver,  however,  relapsed  into 
stupor  and  rolled  back  upon  the  children  after  respond- 
ing to  Northmore's  vigorous  hand  with  a  selection  of 
maudlin  oaths.  When  the  whole  cavalcade  had  been 
piloted  to  the  safe  level  where  the  horses  could  be  trusted 
to  their  own  instinct,  the  minister  found  Ben  Jernigan 
and  roused  him  sternly: 

"  What  does  this  mean,  Ben  ?  What  has  kept  you 
out  until  three  o'clock  in  the  morning?  "  he  demanded. 

Ben  dropped  his  head  stupidly,  and  the  girl  next  him 
laughed  in  an  unnatural  tone.  Startled  beyond  words, 
Northmore  bent  and  scanned  their  faces  in  the  snowy 
starlight,  then  he  jerked  up  the  driver  again  and  got 
him  out  of  his  seat. 

"  Is  there  any  boy  here  who  is  in  condition  to  ride 
my  horse?  "  he  asked. 

A  youth  in  the  rear  of  the  sled  rose  from  his  cramped 
position  and  spoke  clearly :  "  I  can,  sir." 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  183 

"  Then  ride  him  home  and  I  will  drive  the  team.  The 
others  will  follow." 

The  exchange  was  made  and  Northmore  soon  reached 
the  foot  of  the  next  low  hill,  where  a  group  of  anxious 
men  waited  for  him.  The  children  were  rapidly  distrib- 
uted to  their  respective  homes,  and,  last  of  all,  it  was 
his  task  to  take  Ben  Jernigan  to  his  mother,  much  as  he 
wished  to  spare  her  the  sorrow.  She  was  watching  for 
them  from  the  doorstep,  and  Genevieve  rose  from  the 
low  seat  and  went  to  her. 

"  It  was  a  break  down  ?  They  didn't  run  away  ?  " 
cried  the  latter,  hugging  the  girl  wildly. 

*'  No,  it  wasn't  either.  The  rest  wouldn't  start  any 
sooner.  I'll  tell  you — when  we  get  Ben  in.  You'll 
have  to  help  him,  he's — asleep  so  sound." 

"  Poor  child !  He  ain't  used  to  night  doin's,  an'  he's 
an  awful  sound  sleeper,"  crooned  the  mother,  lifting 
him  to  his  feet.  "  Come  in  and  go  to  bed,  honey,  where 
you  kin  sleep  it  out.  Why — why,  Mr.  Northmore " 

"  Sh,  ma,  take  him  in  and  I'll  tell  you — don't  cry. 
He  couldn't  help  it !  " 

They  carried  Ben  in  between  them,  and  he  was  put  to 
bed,  then  Genevieve  told  the  story  to  her  poor  mother 
and  Northmore.  They  had  had  a  hilarious  ride  out, 
though  a  long  one,  for  the  snow  was  so  new  and  the 
loads  were  so  heavy  that  the  horses  walked  most  of  the 
way.  A  good  hot  supper  was  served  when  they  arrived, 
after  which  they  played  games  before  the  huge  wood 
fire  until  the  landlord  told  them  the  fiddler  had  come 
and  they  were  to  dance.  Some  of  the  children,  like 


184  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

Genevieve  herself,  were  forbidden  to  dance  by  their  par- 
ents, so  a  compromise  was  made  on  "  Old  Dan  Tucker," 
which  the  landlord  assured  them  wasn't  a  dance  at  all, 
merely  a  play.  They  made  their  awkward  first  steps  to 
its  inspiring  strain  with  great  zest,  and  went  through 
the  figures  again  and  again,  while  the  fun  grew  up- 
roarious. A  great  bucket  of  beady  cider  was  brought 
in  for  their  refreshment,  and  they  drank  freely  after 
the  vigorous  exercise.  Some  of  the  older  youths 
kept  their  wits  and  made  a  homeward  movement  at 
midnight — but  their  drivers  were  having  an  occasion 
of  their  own  in  the  big  kitchen,  and  could  not  be  found 
when  sent  for.  Some  of  the  children  were  frightened, 
and  to  allay  their  anxiety  another  bucket  of  cider  was 
produced,  with  an  accompaniment  of  mince  pie  and 
gingerbread — while  livelier  music  was  furnished  for 
those  who  wanted  to  dance  a  two-step,  and  the  merri- 
ment was  resumed  until  the  drivers  did  appear  at  the 
usual  time  that  the  older  parties  they  brought  started 
home.  A  few  of  the  young  people  had  been  prudent 
enough  to  let  the  cider  alone,  but  the  others  were  un- 
able to  get  into  the  sleds  without  assistance.  The  best 
homes  in  Mogadonia  were  disgraced  and  sorrow-stricken 
the  next  morning  with  the  forceful  tragedy  of  the 
country  town. 

Immediately  after  breakfast  Northmore  went  in  in- 
dignation to  Mr.  Fury,  who  had  projected  the  expedi- 
tion and  was  its  host.  The  plump  druggist  came  from 
the  back  of  the  store  with  his  imperturbable  smile,- 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  185 

rubbed  his  hands  together  and  forestalled  the  arraign- 
ment in  Northmore's  eyes. 

"  Well,  didn't  those  little  rascals  play  a  joke  on 
us  last  night  ?  "  he  chuckled.  "  My  wife  said  she  got 
to  worryin'  about  them  so  bad  she  didn't  sleep  good, 
but  I  told  her  to  remember  that  when  a  crowd  of  us 
youngsters  got  together,  we  never  knew  what  time  o' 
night  it  was.  We  stayed  as  long  as  the  fun  lasted. 
She  forgets  all  about  that,  now  she's  got  youngsters  of 
her  own,"  and  he  laughed  his  ready,  mirthless  laugh. 

"  Last  night's  affair  can't  be  treated  as  a  joke  by 
any  stretch  of  leniency,  Mr.  Fury."  The  man's  eyes 
dropped  before  the  accusation  in  Northmore's  face. 
"  Its  consequences  are  of  the  greatest  possible  serious- 
ness. Do  you  know  the  condition  in  which  those  boys 
and  girls  reached  their  homes  ?  " 

Mr.  Fury  laughed  so  immoderately  that  he  couldn't 
recover  breath  to  speak  for  two  or  three  minutes. 
"  That  was  too  bad — 'pon  my  word  it  was  too  bad,  an* 
it  was  comical,  too.  The  poor  kids  didn't  know  enough 
to  stop  drinking  cider ;  you  see  they  wasn't  used  to  any- 
thing wetter'n  milk  'n  water,  an'  it  strung  them  up.  I 
never  thought  of  such  a  thing." 

"  I  believe  that  hard  cider  is  intoxicating  to  grown 
people,  isn't  it?  How  did  it  happen  that  they  went 
alone.  The  parents  all  understood  that  Mrs.  Fury  was 
to  chaperon  the  children." 

"  Oh,  that  would  have  spoiled  their  fun.  Let  young 
folks  alone,  I  say.  In  our  day  we  never  had  a  spy 


186  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

taggin'  'long  after  us,  and  we  were  a  sight  better  than 
the  young  folks  that's  watched  so  close  now.  Yes,  my 
wife  did  think  of  goin'  along,  just  for  the  fun  of  it,  but 
she  felt  like  she  was  takin'  cold  last  night  an'  I  advised 
her  not  to  go  out.  A  little  experience  is  a  great  thing  for 
children  ;  it's  the  way  they  learn ;  they'll  know  more  next 
time.  Your  boy  that  goes  to  the  bad — he's  the  poor 
sucker  that's  never  allowed  to  cut  his  eye  teeth.  I  mean 
my  boys  to  burn  their  fingers  while  they're  little,  an* 
they'll  be  sort  of  inoculated.  Not  that  I  ain't  sorry 
that  that  little  thing  happened  last  night — I  wouldn't 
have  had  it  for  the  world,  but  I'm  only  sayin'  it  don't 
amount  to  anything.  I  told  Jake  to  give  the  children 
the  time  of  their  lives,  it  was  my  treat,  and  he  done  the 
best  he  could — but  for  that  the  women  of  this  town'll 
raise  a  hornet's  nest  round  my  ears  that'll  smart  for 
months  to  come.  And  it  ain't  my  fault.  I  didn't 
hold  their  children  and  pour  cider  down  their  throats. 
I  didn't  even  know  what  Jake  was  goin'  to  give  'em. 
Gracious!  Why  don't  they  bring  up  their  children  to 
let  stuff  alone  that  they  don't  want  'em  to  have ! " 

He  found  the  idea  so  amusing  that  Northmore's 
stinging  rebuke  died  upon  his  own  lips,  and  he  turned 
abruptly  away.  He  had  gone  to  this  man  because  he 
was  the  father  of  two  bright,  handsome  boys,  hoping 
that  through  his  fatherhood  he  would  respect  the  claim 
of  other  parents. 

Northmore  did  not  go  home  after  his  failure  with  Joe 
Fury.  He  walked  over  the  spur  to  the  pottery,  burn- 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  187 

ing  with  humiliation  at  his  powerlessness  to  arrest  the 
wickedness  that  flaunted  under  his  eyes,  or  even  to  utter 
one  word  that  would  be  intelligible  to  the  chief  sin- 
sower  ;  yet  he  was  the  representative  of  the  Most  High 
to  these  people. 

As  he  opened  a  drawer  in  his  desk  a  roll  of  blue  prints 
flew  into  his  hand. 


CHAPTER    XIV 

"  IT  does  seem  like  the  months  has  been  shook  up 
in  a  bag  this  year,  and  we'd  drawed  May  instid  of 
January,"  grumbled  Susan  Jernigan  to  Priscilla  Mun- 
son  on  a  summery  morning  between  Christmas  and  New 
Year.  "  Jest  think  of  it,  I  found  five  ripe  straw- 
berries in  my  gardin  this  mornin'!  It  ain't  Nature. 
Folks  need  winter;  they  need  it  to  brace  'em  up,  and 
they  ain't  right  without  it.  I  feel  weak  myself,  an'  I 
take  notice  that  the  preacher  is  near  about  used  up  with 
it  on  top  of  his  hard  work.  He's  holler  eyed  an'  thin, 
an'  he  won't  eat  the  best  chickin  I  can  fry.  He  tramps 
up  an'  down  his  floor  in  slippers  half  the  night,  an* 
there's  mornin's  when  he  looks  like  he'd  tramped  the 
other  half,  too.  I  tell  you,  when  a  strong  feller  of  his 
age  goes  back  on  his  feed  an'  sleep,  he's  in  bad  shape, 
an*  I'm  worried  to  death  about  him.  It  would  be  jest 
Mogadonia  luck,  now  that  we've  got  the  most  wonderful 
man  we  ever  heard  of,  to  have  him  taken  down  with 
typhoid  or  the  like,  and  lose  him!  I  do  wish  it  would 
turn  in  an'  get  cold !  " 

"  It  looks  to  me  like  it  would  take  something  worse'n 
weather  to  use  him  up  like  that,"  commented  Priscilla, 
looking  up  from  the  darning  in  her  weak  white  hands. 
She  had  not  yet  been  out  of  doors,  but  her  little  rag- 
carpeted  sitting-room  was  second  only  to  Fury's  drug 
store  as  a  news  centre. 

1S8 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  189 

"  I  don't  know  what  trouble  he  could  have ;  the  pot- 
tery's running  so  slick,  an'  his  church  fairly  bustin* 
with  the  people  that  goes." 

"  I've  heard  more'n  one  person  suspicion  that  it  was 
a  girl  was  tormentin'  him,"  and  Priscilla  suspended  her 
needle  to  see  if  Susan  would  reveal  any  confidence  that 
her  boarder  might  have  reposed  in  her. 

"Well,  that  ain't  so,  an'  I  'low  I  know  the  facts. 
He's  jest  as  anxious  for  Mr.  Harrington  to  git  her  as 
I  am.  If  it  wasn't  fur  her  awful  trouble  about  her 
father  dyin'  an'  the  holt  it  gives  that  thunder  cloud  of  a 
missionary  on  Mis'  Garnett,  I  believe  that  her  an'  Mr. 
Harrington  would  be  engaged  by  now.  La,  Mr.  North- 
more  knew  that  from  the  start." 

"  Likely  he's  got  his  mind  on  somebody  he  knew  be- 
fore he  come  here.  It  ain't  in  reason  that  a  young  man 
of  his  age  never  cared  for  anybody." 

"  I'd  have  knowed  it  long  ago.  No,  he  ain't  a  marry- 
in'  man.  You  never  saw  a  man  with  his  heart  so  set  on 
his  work  as  that  one.  He's  jest  thinkin'  of  it  night 
an'  day,  an'  that's  the  reason  he's  turnin'  this  town 
upside  down.  Now,  I  can  tell  you  a  wonderful  secret 
if  you  won't  tell  a  soul.  He  don't  know  that  I  know 
it,  but  Mary  Fanny  Moneypenny  heard  the  stewards 
talkin'  it  over  when  they  met  at  her  house." 

"  Honest,  I  won't  tell  a  soul.    Out  with  it,  Susan !  " 

"  It's  the  biggest  boost  ever  come  to  this  town.  Tom 
Morgan  is  goin'  to  give  Mr.  Northmore  thirty  thousand 
dollars  to  build  as  big  a  church  as  the  one  at  Bellevue. 
Now,  what  do  you  say  to  that?  " 


190  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

"  Not  to  our  church  ?  " 

"  Yes,  ma'm,  to  our  church.  He's  just  so  taken  with 
our  preacher  as  that.  Of  course  we've  got  to  do  part 
— but  thirty  thousand  dollars  fur  a  church  that  he 
ain't  a  member  of !  Did  you  ever  hear  the  like  of  that  ? 
Now  kin  you  imagine  what  that  young  man  is  worryin' 
nights  about  when  he's  had  a  stroke  o'  luck  like  that?" 
Priscilla  smoothed  out  a  ragged  waist. 

"  Well,  Mary  Quiggins  is  doin*  my  washin*  this 
winter.  You  know  her  husband  was  crippled  on  the 
Bellevue  church,  and  she  was  talkin'  'bout  that  very 
thing  last  Monday.  She'd  heard  that  Tom  Morgan 
wanted  to  give  every  church  in  town  the  half  of  a  new 
buildin',  and  she  said  that  Mr.  Northmore  wouldn't  touch 
his  money.  He's  been  to  see  Quiggins  lots  of  times, 
and  you  know  how  hot  he  was  aginst  Morgan;  well,  I 
guess  lots  of  other  folks  is,  too.  They  say  Joe  Fury 
offered  five  thousand  to  start  a  new  Presbyterian  church. 
Seems  like  money's  just  lyin'  around  loose,  where  a 
body  that  needs  it  can't  get  a  cent ! " 

Susan  flared  at  the  mention  of  the  druggist's  name. 
There  were  hollows  under  her  own  eyes,  but  her  mother 
pride  kept  silence  about  her  grief. 

"  Well,  if  that  church'll  take  Joe  Fury's  money  I'm 
glad  I'm  not  on  their  track  to  Heaven.  He  had  an 
opening  of  his  new  soda  fountain  a  little  while  back 
an'  Mary  Fanny  Moneypenny  told  me  fur  sure  that  he 
had  a  lot  of  school  children  there,  treatin'  'em  to  whisky- 
flavoured  drinks — for  future  customers.  A  church 
that'll  take  his  money  '11  be  struck  by  lightnin',  sure — 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  191 

him  ruinin'  our  boys !  That  money  would  carry  a 
curse." 

"  No,  it  wouldn't,  Susan.  If  him  an'  Tom  Morgan 
didn't  get  their  money  right,  it  ondoes  the  harm  when 
it's  put  to  a  good  use." 

"  If  your  only  boy'd  ben  started  on  the  road  to  ruin 
by  Joe  Fury,  you  wouldn't  see  him  uplifted  by  doin* 
good  with  that  money.  No,  sir,  you'd  burn  it  if  it 
come  into  your  hands.  Of  course,  I  ain't  no  grudge 
against  Morgan,  an'  I  think  it's  all  right  to  spread  the 
gospel  with  his  money."  Susan's  voice  broke  at  this 
and  Priscilla  looked  away  contritely.  "  Joe  Fury 
don't  belong  to  that  church.  His  wife  does,  an'  he 
goes  once  in  a  while  when  he  thinks  somebody's  goin' 
to  prosecute  him.  He  wants  to  buy  a  backin'  of  re- 
spectability, that's  all.  Think  of  him  bein'  on  a  higher 
level  in  the  subscription  list  than  the  Old  Doctor,  that's 
given  his  life  to  doin'  fur  this  town — on  the  quiet," 
Susan  sobbed  out  indignantly. 

The  holidays  passed  in  rainy  mildness ;  the  New  Year 
stole  in  on  a  thick  fog  and  veiled  the  dawn  in  blood-red 
mist.  The  incessant  rain  could  not  keep  Northmore 
from  tramping  on  the  yielding  brick  sidewalk  by  the 
hour,  because  the  black  batter  of  the  roads  to  his  be- 
loved woods  was  impassable,  while  he  was  obliged  to  work 
out  in  muscular  exercise  the  fever  that  burned  his  blood 
and  throbbed  in  his  pulses.  The  time  was  at  hand  when 
he  must  open  his  revival ;  when  he  must  decide  upon  the 
Morgan  fund — and  when  he  must  forget  Florida  Mor- 
gan !  He  knew  the  confident  expectancy  with  which 


192  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

his  elder  members  looked  forward  to  the  greatest  revival 
that  the  region  had  ever  known,  such  a  regeneration  of 
primitive  faith  as  would  mark  an  epoch  in  the  church. 
But,  face  to  face  with  himself  on  the  eve  of  this  awaken- 
ing, he  wondered  where  he  stood.  Every  week  of  his 
eventful  ministry  from  the  preliminary  talk  with  Quig- 
gins,  had  tossed  him  against  a  new  rock  of  doubt,  until 
his  soul  was  bruised  and  torn.  What  did  he  really  be- 
lieve? What  did  duty  require  him  to  preach  to  this 
church?  But  had  he  any  choice?  The  revival  must 
begin  on  this  first  Sabbath  night  of  the  New  Year. 

The  sun  came  out  for  a  few  tantalising  moments  on 
Sunday  morning,  and  then  the  deluge  was  on  again. 
When  Northmore  walked  to  his  church  in  the  evening 
over  spongy  pavements,  the  dense  humid  air  stifled  his 
depleted  vitality  almost  to  exhaustion.  He  tried  to 
breathe  the  fog  which  draped  skeleton  trees,  surrounded 
street  lamps  with  luminous  penumbra,  and  made  each 
window  a  nimbus  of  misty  light.  It  even  filled  the 
corners  of  the  church  with  grey  glooms,  in  which  the 
densely  packed  faces  were  blurred  as  in  an  impressionist 
picture.  The  stoves  were  red-hot. 

He  met  Firestone  at  the  door  and  felt  that  he  must 
invite  the  missionary  to  the  pulpit.  There  they  found 
the  presiding  elder,  an  oldish  man  with  a  kindly  face 
which  beamed  in  a  fatherly  smile  upon  the  two  younger 
men. 

"  I  want  to  congratulate  you,  Northmore,"  he 
whispered  over  his  hymnbook.  "  I  never  expected  to 
see  in  my  time  such  a  house  as  this  in  Mogadonia.  It 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  193 

has  been  a  notorious  charge — the  hardest  in  the  dis- 
trict— for  thirty  years;  we've  broken  more  than  one 
good  man  on  this  wheel,  and  I  pitied  you  when  the 
appointment  was  made,  but  the  Lord  was  in  it.  You 
were  the  man.  Now,  you're  going  to  sweep  the  town 
with  a  revival  that  will  make  you  famous,  particularly 
in  these  days.  Then  you  can  build  a  fine  new  edifice, 
and  Mogadonia  charge  will  loom  up  redeemed  and 
glorified — to  your  credit.  I  envy  you  the  chance. 
You  have  only  one  danger — you  are  a  little  too  radical ; 
it  is  the  vice  of  some  of  our  brightest  young  men.  I 
can  see  how  the  importance  of  works  as  a  visible  sign 
appeals  to  a  young  man — but  it's  Repentance  that 
carries  on  a  revival.  Repentance  and  Salvation.  Fill 
a  man  full  of  the  Holy  Ghost  and  his  deeds  are  all 
right." 

The  bell  stopped  tolling.  The  last  hymn  trailed  off 
into  a  tense,  expectant  hush ;  Northmore,  with  a  greyish 
pallor  in  his  face,  stepped  to  the  pulpit  and  opened  the 
Bible,  looking  blindly  through  the  pages  he  turned  for 
something  he  seemed  to  have  forgotten.  Then  a  panic 
seized  him.  What  was  it  that  his  sermon  was  about? 
He  had  never  used  notes.  He  turned  the  pages  slowly 
to  make  time,  and  the  tension  of  silence  increased.  His 
voice  must  break  it.  He  read  at  random  a  passage 
which  sprang  into  sight  before  him,  part  of  the  twelfth 
chapter  of  Luke.  Closing  the  book,  he  passed  his 
handkerchief  over  his  wet  forehead,  and  wondered 
vaguely  why  he  stood  on  the  rack  before  all  those  eager 
faces.  What  had  impelled  him  to  enter  the  ministry. 


194  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

It  was  a  supreme  moment.  A  voice  rang  out  in  his 
consciousness,  "  How  can  you  preach  what  you  don't 
believe?"  and  he  glanced  quickly  to  see  if  others  had 
heard.  Then  he  heard  his  own  voice  speaking  in  dull 
platitudes  that  came  automatically,  while  all  the  time 
his  brain  was  in  a  stupor,  and  he  was  acting  subcon- 
sciously. He  groped  for  new  thoughts,  but  they  eluded 
him.  He  toiled  desparately  on  until  a  glance  at  the 
clock  told  him  that  he  could  decently  stop.  He  turned 
with  a  motion  of  invitation  to  Firestone,  and  sank  into 
his  chair.  In  a  moment  the  sonorous  words  of  the  mis- 
sionary were  ringing  through  the  disappointed  silence 
of  the  congregation. 

"  Brother  Northmore  has  told  us  the  truth,  my 
friends,  but  he  has  not  told  us  half  the  truth,  nor  the 
hundredth  part.  Human  tongue  could  not  tell  us  that 
if  it  talked  for  a  year — the  blessed,  glorious  truth 
of  Salvation — the  terrible  truth  of  Damnation.  Mr. 
Northmore  has  told  us  the  value  of  the  Christian's  life 
— but  not  the  glory  of  his  death.  He  has  said  nothing 
of  the  sinner's  awful  doom.  Now,  my  friends,  let  us 
look  on  that  picture ;  let  us  look  on  that  terrible  picture 
for  a  moment!  Do  we  realise  what  it  means  to  be  lost? 
To  be  lost — to  be  eternally  damned !  " 

There  was  a  breathless  pause  and  the  speaker  went 
on: 

"  Listen  to  that  clock  ticking  back  there, — tick, — 
tock, — tick, — tock!  And  with  every  tick  a  soul  is 
going  down  into  eternal  darkness ;  tick, — tock, — tick, 
— tock!  One — two — three — four — have  gone  while  I 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  195 

am  telling  you  this ;  it  may  be  that  some  one  of  you  will 
go  before  the  dawn.  Oh,  why  do  you  take  such  awful 
risks  when  salvation  is  free?  How  many  of  us  have 
gone  down  that  dark  way  since  last  month — since  last 
week?  You  will  never  know.  They  cannot  be  counted 
except  by  the  angel  at  the  gate  who  turns  them  away 
for  the  great  Day  of  Reckoning.  It  is  only  by  the 
grace  of  God  that  you  are  given  this  one  more  chance — 
and  for  someone  here  it  will  be  the  last  chance.  There's 
an  empty  chair  at  some  firesides  to-night ;  were  the  dear 
ones  who  sat  there  prepared  for  the  great  change  ?  What 
would  you  give  if  they  could  have  your  chance  to-night  ? 
Are  you  ready  for  the  summons?  Don't  comfort  your- 
selves that  you  lead  moral  lives  and  keep  the  command- 
ments ;  it  is  not  sufficient.  We  are  told  in  this  book, 
*  Except  a  man  be  born  again,  he  cannot  enter  the  king- 
dom of  Heaven.'  No  matter  what  your  life  has  been, 
you  must  be  washed  in  the  blood  of  Jesus.  If  you  are 
pure  in  morals,  you  still  need  it  as  much  as  the  vilest 
sinner.  If  you  are  the  vilest  sinner,  you  can  be  washed 
as  white  as  the  purest  angel.  There  are  no  degrees  in 
Salvation. 

"  What  would  you  give  if  your  dead  had  been  washed 
in  that  abundant  fountain?  We  see  them  fall  around 
us  without  one  word  of  warning.  Last  week  five  men 
were  brought  up  from  one  of  our  mines,  cold  in  death. 
Had  they  prepared  for  that  when  they  went  down  to 
work  in  the  morning?  You  who  have  lately  stood  be- 
side your  lost  dead  know  what  that  means.  Don't  put 
off  your  own  repentance  until  it  is  too  late.  Too  late ! 


196  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

Oh,  the  horror  of  that  death,  for  it  never  ends! 
Thousands  of  years  will  make  no  difference ;  you  will  be 
no  nearer  the  end  than  when  you  first  began." 

"  Amen !  "  groaned  a  man,  and,  "  Lord  have  mercy," 
shrilled  a  woman's  voice. 

"  When  the  gates  of  Hell  are  shut  upon  you  they 
never  open.  Years  will  come  and  years  will  go,  and  age 
on  age  will  roll  away,  and  the  millenium  will  pass  and 
the  earth  will  be  destroyed,  but  the  gates  of  Hell  are 
shut  forever!  Think  of  that!  Forever  and  forever! 
And  which  side  will  you  be  on,  my  friends?  Forever 
and  forever !  " 

"  Praise  the  Lord ! "  irrelevantly  quavered  an  old 
man. 

"  Forever  and  forever,  and  if  you  are  inside  the 
gates  you  are  saved — forever  and  forever !  Now  let  us 
sing  one  verse  of  the  old  hymn  while  those  who  want 
salvation  come  to  the  altar.  Let  us  sing: 

" '  There   is    a    fountain   filled  with  blood 

Drawn   from   ImmanuePs  veins, 
And  sinners  plunged  beneath  that  flood 
Lose  all  their  guilty  stains.'  " 

The  impressive  old  hymn  rose  in  a  wailing  minor 
key,  the  elder  coming  forward  and  giving  a  brief  ex- 
hortation above  the  voices  of  the  congregation.  When 
it  had  died  away,  he  signed  to  Firestone  to  pursue  his 
talk,  knowing  that  he  could  not  take  up  the  key  that 
had  been  pitched.  The  younger  man,  his  face  burning 
with  earnestness,  went  on: 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  197 

"  Now  is  the  appointed  time.  Come  to  the  foot  of 
the  cross,  you  who  have  repulsed  the  Holy  Spirit  all 
your  lives.  Come  now !  The  Lord  bless  you,  Brother ! 
Now,  let  another  come.  Glory,  glory,  come  on,  Sister. 
Jesus  is  waiting  for  you." 

A  worn  elderly  woman  hurried  timidly  down  the  aisle 
and  knelt  at  the  altar,  touching  elbows  with  the  gaunt, 
shabby  youth  who  had  come  first.  A  frightened  little 
girl  crept  up  beside  them.  Northmore's  eyes  had 
fastened  upon  the  two  slender  women  in  deep  mourn- 
ing in  the  Garnett  pew  the  moment  the  elder  began  to 
speak.  At  this  point  he  shivered  from  head  to  foot,  and 
dropped  his  head  upon  his  hand,  while  the  elder  fer- 
vently breathed:  "God  be  praised!  There  is  joy  in 
Heaven  to-night ! " 

For  Silence  Garnett,  her  face  rigid  as  the  dead  who 
have  died  in  pain,  wavered  down  the  aisle  and  sank  to 
her  knees  before  the  bench.  She  covered  her  bowed 
face  with  her  handkerchief.  The  singing  faltered  and 
rose  again,  tremulous  with  tears.  When  the  last  note 
had  faded  from  the  room,  the  elder  signed  to  Northmore 
to  lead  in  prayer,  and  the  young  man  recalled  his  senses 
to  pour  forth  a  fervent  invocation.  As  he  rose  from 
his  knees,  an  old,  old  woman  started  the  song, 

"  We're   going  home   to   die   no   more." 

It  was  carried  by  voices  discordant  with  emotion, 
while  the  elder's  earnest  plea  could  still  be  heard  above 
the  notes.  Before  it  was  ended  the  mourner's  bench 
was  filled  with  weeping  people.  Northmore  followed 


198  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

with  prayer,  his  subdued  words  making  a  lull  in  the 
passion  of  the  hour.     It  was  succeeded  by 

"Shall    we    gather    at  the    river?" 

Northmore's  eyes  had  never  left  the  slight,  kneeling 
form  of  Silence  Garnett,  and  noting  that  the  elder  was 
looking  at  her  also,  the  young  minister  anticipated  the 
other's  intention  by  stepping  down  inside  the  rail  and 
dropping  upon  one  knee  before  her  as  she  knelt  with 
her  cheek  on  one  hand,  with  wide  open,  unseeing  eyes. 
Her  other  hand  lay  on  the  bench  and  he  covered  it 
with  his  own. 

"  Did  you  need  to  come  here  ?  "  he  asked  quietly. 

She  gave  a  hysterical  dry  sob.  "  I  had  to.  It's 
killing  me." 

"What  is?" 

"  My  sin.  I  can't  live  in  it  any  longer,  and  I  am 
afraid  to  die.  I  am  not  saved." 

"  What  is  your  sin  ?  " 

"  Why,  it  is— why— I  can't  just  tell." 

"  What  have  you  done?  " 

"  I  don't — know.     I  think  it  is  what  I  haven't  done." 

"  What  haven't  you  done  ?  " 

"  You  know ;  it  was  not — doing  this.  Not — seeking 
— salvation  and  repenting  of  my  wickedness." 

"  Can  you  tell  me  why  you  have  never  done  so  ?  " 

"No — it  seemed  that  I  couldn't;  I  just  couldn't! 
And,  now,  it  is  too  late!  Oh,  my  dear  father!  God 
has  punished  my  wickedness  by  taking  him — and  he — 
must — must  suffer — forever  and  forever!  Oh,  I  can- 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  199 

not  bear  rt!  I  cannot  live  and  bear  it — and  I  cannot 
die.  I  am  afraid.  And  I  don't  think  I  want  to  be 
saved  if — if  father  is  not.  Why  couldn't  I  have  been 
taken  in  his  place?  " 

He  saw  the  throbbing  of  fevered  blood  in  her  temples, 
the  deadly  white  fever  of  overtense  nerves.  Her  lips 
were  white  and  dry  and  her  words  came  in  convulsive 
gasps.  He  was  wrung  with  pity;  he  answered  hotly, 
"  Don't  torture  yourself  with  such  fears  for  another 
minute.  God  is  not  a  monster;  He  is  a  tender,  loving 
Father.  Take  your  troubles  to  Him  and  He  will  give 
you  peace." 

"  I  don't  know  what  that  means." 

"  Would  you  know  how  to  go  to  your  own  father  if 
you  were  troubled  about  anything?  "  The  minister's 
voice  was  very  gentle. 

"Papa?  Oh,  yes.  He  would  take  me  in  his  arms 
and  say, *  Wait,  little  daughter,  and  the  Spirit  will  come 
to  thee  in  time.'  He  said  that  to  me  the  only  time 
we  ever  talked  about  it.  But,  now,  he  is  gone  and  he 
was — not  saved — and  I  cannot  bear  it !  " 

"  Don!t  believe  that  for  an  instant.  Whoever  has 
told  you  that  has  traduced  your  father's  memory  with 
a  cruel  aspersion.  You  can  only  do  yourself  last- 
ing injury  by  thinking  of  it.  I  can't  talk  longer  now, 
but  I  am  going  to  walk  home  with  you  after  the  meet- 
ing as  there  are  things  I  want  to  say  to  you.  In  the 
meantime,  try  to  calm  yourself,  for  you  have  no  occasion 
to  grieve  like  this." 

As  Northmore  rose  to  his  feet   the  worn  little  woman 


200  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

near  Silence  cried  out  joyfully,  "  Thank  the  Lord,  I'm 
saved,  I'm  saved !  Glory,  glory  !  Oh,  dear  Lord !  " 

A  hoarse  chorus  of  acclamation  joined  her  voice. 
Electric  currents  of  emotion  thrilled  through  the  house. 
The  humid,  heated  air  quivered  with  human  feeling ;  the 
murmur  swelled  to  uproar ;  women  ecstatically  embraced 
one  another;  men  shook  hands  with  tears  of  sacred  joy 
upon  their  faces;  the  elder's  voice  broke  as  he  tried  to 
start  a  hymn  and  he  wept  without  restraint. 

One  face  grew  white  and  grave — the  pastor's.  At 
the  meeting's  close  he  dispersed  the  people  with  lifted 
hands  in  benediction,  then  waited  aloof  until  he  could 
walk  quietly  away  with  Silence  Garnett,  her  mother  pre- 
ceding them  with  the  elder,  who  was  staying  at  her 
house  for  the  meeting.  At  first  the  quivering  girl 
could  scarcely  speak,  but  when  the  open  air  and  the 
magnetism  of  his  protecting  masculine  presence  had  re- 
stored her  self-control,  Northmore  led  her  into  a  quiet 
street  a  little  farther  round  to  gain  time  enough,  and 
began  with  some  commonplace.  Then  he  said  earnestly : 

"  I  think  it  is  due  to  your  father's  memory  to  tell  you 
that  his  simple  practice  has  revolutionised  my  under- 
standing of  religion.  I  was  probably  the  last  person 
to  whom  he  talked,  and  in  that  last  afternoon  I  got 
a  glimpse  of  applied  Christianity  that  will  forever 
weaken  profession  in  my  eyes.  Your  father  had  no 
need  to  publish  his  creed.  He  lived  it." 

"  Oh,  I  know  that.  His  life  was  perfect  and  he 
never  had  a  selfish  thought.  But — that  does  no  good 
— they  say — that  he  was  never — never " 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  201 

"Who  has  dared  to  take  judgment  from  the  hands 
of  God?  If  Mr.  Garnett's  life  went  for  nothing — 
what  hope  is  there  for  the  world?  In  the  very  nature 
of  things,  righteousness  must  work  its  own  salvation. 
I  only  hope  that  my  own  record  will  be  as  clear."  His 
quiet  voice  carried  conviction. 

"  Do  you  truly  mean — Mr.  Northmore,  you  wouldn't 
say  that  just  to  comfort  me?  " 

"  Tell  you  a  falsehood?     No." 

She  drew  a  long,  fluttering  breath.  "  I  can't  take  in 
the  meaning  of  that  just  yet.  I  have  suffered  so!" 
She  covered  her  face  and  he  felt  the  tremble  of  her 
sobbing.  They  walked  very  slowly  for  a  little  way  and 
she  went  on  in  a  voice  that  was  unruly  in  spite  of  her 
effort :  "  But  that  doesn't  atone  for  me ;  my  sin  is 
just  the  same — isn't  it?" 

"  Can  you..tell  me  now  what  it  is  ?  " 

"  I  think  it  began  when  I  was  a  very  little  girl ; 
mother  took  me  one  night  to  a  meeting  like  this  one,  and 
I  couldn't  understand;  it  frightened  me.  It  does  now, 
and  I  don't  understand  yet;  but  when  Mr.  Warner 
talked  to  me  about  myself,  and  then  I  heard  to-night 
about  people  who  had — been  taken — like  father — it 
seemed  that  I  had  to  go.  Something  drove  me.  Ever 
since  that  first  time  when  I  was  a  child  I  have  been 
afraid  I  should  die  in  my  sleep  and  be — lost — and  I 
often  dream  that  I  am.  It  has  been  torture  all  my  life 
and  I  never  could  tell  anyone  before.  I  didn't  know 
what  I  must  do  and  I  couldn't  speak  of  it." 

"And  did  no  one  ever  understand?" 


202  ALTARS   TO    MAMMON 

"  Never  before.  I  thought  I  was  too  wicked  to  be 
saved — and  yet — I  couldn't  go  forward — I  couldn't. 
The  thought  of  it  makes  me  tremble  now." 

The  piteous  catch  of  her  breath  at  the  memory 
touched  him  beyond  words ;  he  grew  stern.  "  One  thing 
is  certain,"  he  said ;  "  you  must  not  go  forward  again. 
Your  physical  condition  demands  some  consideration 
and — there  is  no  need  of  it.  I  am  this  moment  seeing 
a  light  for  which  I  have  groped  ever  since  coming  here. 
I  have  got  it  now.  We  have  misunderstood;  you  have 
committed  no  sin  in  your  innocent  life  to  be  expiated  by 
such  pain.  God  is  not  wrath — that  was  the  old  barbaric 
idea  before  love  was  known,  and  we  must  slough  it  off. 
Christ  came  to  teach  us  how  to  live  without  sin,  not  to 
be  sacrificed  as  a  blood  offering  for  us.  Religion  is  for 
life,  not  for  death,  for  the  uplifting  of  us  on  earth, 
not  in  Heaven.  If  we  have  it  here,  we  shall  have  it 
hereafter.  We  are  to  live  out  our  own  salvation,  not 
to  rely  upon  a  substitute  penalty  in  Christ's  death  for 
wrongs  that  we  may  commit.  Under  immutable  law 
such  a  thing  could  not  be." 

"  You  mean  that  we  need  not  fear — anything  that 
we  don't  understand  ?  " 

"  Exactly.  We  have  nothing  to  fear  but  ourselves 
—our  own  conscious  wrong  doing." 

"  Oh,  can  you  be  sure  of  that  ?  " 

"  Absolutely.  The  conviction  will  change  my  life 
from  this  moment.  You  are  too  much  overwrought  to 
realise  how  it  simplifies  all  the  intricate  problems,  but  it 
will  gradually  bring  you  great  peace  and  give  your  life 
a  far  broader  motive  than  the  mere  protection  of  your 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  203 

own  soul  for  the  future  life.  To  me  it  means  much; 
among  other  things  it  means  that — I  must  fail  in  my 
work.  I  must  give  it  up — and  other  aims  that  make  it 
almost  a  tragedy." 

"Give  up  your  work!  Oh,  Mr.  Northmore,  just 
when  you  are  making  over  the  town !  No  one  has  ever 
had  such  influence  before." 

"  I  know  of  no  capacity  in  which  I  can  stay.  It 
would  be  disloyal  to  my  church  to  preach  an  alien  faith 
— and  I  cannot — do  what  I  have  vowed  to  do.  It 
comes  with  a  shock ;  it  is  an  utter  uprooting." 

"  But,  what  shall  we  do  without  you  ?  " 

"  Far  better  than  with  me — if  I  am  wrong.  It  is 
a  tremendous  trust — the  charge  of  a  church.  I  wonder 
why  I  ever  undertook  it;  it  was  a  struggle  from  the 
beginning.  My  religious  life  came  through  broken 
bonds  and  estrangement  from  my  family.  Their  very 
opposition  made  it  the  more  precious  to  me.  Now,  to 
abandon  what  has  cost  me  so  dear  and  to  announce  the 
failure  of  my  holy  calling  is  a  fitting  climax.  It  cruci- 
fies my  pride  of  purpose — and  yet,  even  that  is  a  relief 
after  the  torment  of  doubt." 

"  Ah,"  sighed  the  girl,  forgetting  herself  in  the  mo- 
ment of  privileged  confidence:  "  But  you  will  stay 
just  a  little  longer.  We  need  you  so  much." 

"  I  shall  have  to ;  I  have  made  no  plan ;  there  has  not 
been  time.  I  only  know  that  I  owe  it  to  my  church  to 
leave — to  break  my  consecration  vow.  But,  whatever 
else  we  do,  we  must  be  true  to  our  convictions — in 
everything.  All  our  life  questions  hinge  upon  our  con- 
ceptions of  duty." 


204  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

He  felt  her  start  and  tremble  as  he  guided  her  up  the 
steep  street. 

"  Do  you  think  it  would  be  right — to — to — refuse  to 
give  one's  life  to — a  service  that  one  did  not  like — could 
not  bear — if  it  were  a  great  work? "  she  returned 
timidly. 

He  understood.  "  Do  you  mean  the  missionary  serv- 
ice? "  he  asked  quietly. 

"  Yes." 

"  There  is  so  much  else  involved  in  your  case  that 
you  will  have  to  decide  it  personally." 

"  If  some  other  person's  usefulness  depended  upon 
yours.  If  it  meant " 

"  If  I  loved  that  other  person  so  well  that  I  could 
honestly  marry,  I  would  do  so.  If  I  felt  strongly  called 
to  the  missionary  service,  I  would  enter  it.  But  they 
are  two  questions.  If  I  did  not  truly  and  deeply  love 
the  other  person — I  could  not  desecrate  the  marriage 
vows  by  a  lie." 

"  Would  it  mean— that?  " 

"  What  else  could  it  mean  ?  " 

They  walked  in  silence  to  the  top  of  the  hill  and 
crossed  to  the  door.  As  he  turned  to  say  good-night 
Northmore  added :  "  You  will  not  be  afraid  now,  will 
you,  nor  troubled  by  extraneous  doubts  ?  The  Heavenly 
Father  sorrows  with  you,  not  against  you." 

"  You  have  changed  my  life  in  this  little  talk,"  she 
answered  gratefully  over  the  warm  clasp  of  his  hand. 
"  I  think  I  must  have  gone  mad  without  it." 


CHAPTER    XV 

HE  did  not  walk  the  floor  that  night  in  travail  of  spirit, 
but  slept  soundly  in  the  reactive  calm  which  follows  a 
calamity  whose  worst  has  fallen.  His  days  of  sus- 
pense had  culminated  in  decision. 

He  had  barely  gone  up  from  breakfast  the  next 
morning  when  he  heard  steps,  which  he  divined  to  be  the 
elder's,  mounting  the  stairs. 

"  Well,  Northmore,  I'm  relieved  to  see  you  in  good 
shape  this  morning,"  and  he  shook  the  minister's  hand 
long  and  heartily.  "  I  was  so  worried  about  you  that  I 
couldn't  sleep.  You  looked  as  if  you  were  just  setting 
in  for  a  spell  of  sickness.  Hadn't  you  better  see  a 
doctor?" 

"  No,  I  am  perfectly  well." 

"  I  certainly  hope  that  you  are,  for  if  ever  a  man 
needed  his  strength,  you  do  now ;  it  is  the  opportunity 
of  a  lifetime — and  more  than  that.  It  is  little  less  than 
a  miracle ;  I've  never  seen  the  like  in  my  experience.  It 
was  worth  a  great  deal  to  get  Silence  Garnett  to  the 
altar;  I  hope  the  poor  girl  will  be  soundly  converted; 
that  is  now  the  one  wish  of  her  mother's  life;  she  has 
been  terribly  worked  up  about  Silence  since  her  hus- 
band's death;  she  felt  that  if  that  didn't  reach  the 
daughter  nothing  ever  would.  Firestone  has  had  her 
on  his  mind,  too,  and  I  suppose  that  put  force  into  his 

205 


206  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

exhortation  last  night.  Wasn't  it  a  grand  effort — and 
wasn't  it  fortunate  that  he  happened  to  be  there  when 
you  were  so  used  up  yourself?  " 

Northmore  writhed  in  his  chair,  then  got  up  and  took 
a  turn  across  the  floor,  head  down,  hands  in  his  pockets. 
It  was  hard  for  him  to  begin  what  he  had  to  say.  The 
elder  watched  him  in  doubtful  expectancy,  seeing  the 
unusual  in  his  manner. 

"  Yes,"  he  faced  the  elder  at  last ;  "  he  reached  her, 
Mr.  Warner.  There's  no  doubt  of  that,  and  I'm  afraid 
he  reached  me,  too.  She  was  terribly  overwrought.  I 
walked  home  with  her  last  night ;  she  was  in  such  a  state 
of  hysterical  nervousness  that  I  was  afraid  of  conse- 
quences. She  is  too  near  the  shock  of  death  to  endure 
an  emotional  strain  just  yet,  if  she  ever  could  stand  it. 
I  tried  to  reassure  her  a  little — and  I  told  her  not  to 
come  to  any  more  of  the  meetings." 

"  You  did !     But  she  was  not  converted?  " 

"  Not  in  the  sense  you  mean." 

"  Then  I  don't  see  why  that  was  necessary.  She  was 
thoroughly  under  conviction — in  fulfilment  of  her 
mother's  lifelong  prayer.  She  would  soon  have  found 
peace." 

"  It  didn't  seem  so  to  me  after  talking  with  her ;  I 
was  afraid  to  risk  any  further  excitement  for  her.  And 
I  told  her  more  than  that,  Mr.  Warner;  what  I  must 
tell  you  now ;  I  told  her  that  I  didn't  believe  it  myself — 
what  was  preached  last  night.  I  never  took  in  its  full 
meaning  before — the  wrath  of  God  and  salvation  by  the 
vicarious  death  on  the  cross." 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  207 

The  elder  sprang  to  his  feet,  pale  with  consternation. 
"  Northmore,  do  you  know  what  you  are  saying?  I 
don't  believe  you  do ;  you  have  been  overworking ;  you 
looked  as  if  you  had  a  fever  last  night  ?  " 

"  I  am  in  full  possession  of  my  faculties,  but  I  have 
lost  my  faith  in  a  doctrine  for  which  I  never  did  under- 
stand the  reason." 

"  But  you  believe  that  nothing  but  the  blood  of 
Christ  can  cleanse  us  from  sin  and  save  us  to  life 
everlasting  ?  You  can't  get  away  from  that !  " 

"  I  don't  interpret  it  that  way.  Christ  never  taught 
it;  He  never  called  Himself  the  Atonement,  nor  any- 
thing that  had  that  significance.  He  called  Himself 
the  Way,  the  Truth,  the  Life,  the  Vine,  the  Door,  the 
Bread  of  Life,  but  never  once  the  propitiatory  sacrifice 
on  the  altar  of  an  angry  God.  Why  should  He,  Mr. 
Warner?  God  is  not  Baal — to  require  human  sacrifice. 
We  have  misinterpreted  Christ's  ministry  to  us  for  two 
thousand  years.  He  came  to  our  salvation,  truly,  but 
to  uplift  us  to  the  spiritual,  not  to  offer  Himself  as  a 
pagan  blood  offering." 

The  elder  was  dumf ounded ;  it  was  fully  a  minute  be- 
fore he  could  recover  himself  to  stammer :  "  But — then 
— what's  the  use — what  do  you  think  Christ  did  come 
for?" 

"  He  came  to  lead  us  out  of  the  physical  into  the 
spiritual  stage  of  our  religious  evolution.  In  Him  the 
down-reaching  of  the  Divine  met  the  up-reaching  of  the 
human  for  the  first  time.  From  Him  we  look  backward 
to  our  physical  heredity  in  the  animal  and  forward  to 


208  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

our  spiritual  heritage  in  God.  His  pagan  hearers  could 
not  grasp  His  spiritual  ideals,  hence  they  gave  to  His 
martyrdom  the  office  of  purification  by  blood  before 
their  Moloch-Deity.  And  it  is  for  us  to  strip  it  of 
its  paganism." 

The  elder  had  collected  himself  by  this  time :  "  But, 
Brother,  do  you  realise  what  you  are  saying?  You 
have  ripped  out  the  very  cornerstone  of  religion  and 
substituted  a  lot  of  Darwinism  instead !  Why,  it  is  the 
sheerest  madness !  You  are  not  well ;  you  have  brooded 
over  the  matter  till  you  have  got  morbid  and  the  Ad- 
versary has  got  hold  of  you.  Reason  won't  do  you  any 
good;  I  never  knew  a  doubting  man  saved  by  reason. 
Make  a  tremendous  effort  to  cast  out  the  evil  that  has 
taken  possession  of  you,  and  ask  the  Lord  to  help  you." 

"  It's  no  use,  Mr.  Warner.  I've  tried  that  for  the 
last  three  months  and  suffered  torment  in  the  struggle; 
the  solution  burst  on  me  in  a  flash  last  night.  It's 
simply  the  old  Jewish  rite  of  Atonement,  and  I  can't 
accept  it." 

"  But,  Northmore,  good  gracious — I  think  you're 
crazy !  To  split  hairs  over  your  own  faith  in  the  open- 
ing of  the  grandest  revival  this  region  has  ever  known ! 
You  can  redeem  a  hundred  souls  in  this  wicked  town ;  a 
hundred  immortal  souls  look  to  you  for  salvation.  Do 
you  dare  to  shirk  that  responsibility?  Remember  your 
ordination  vows;  get  down  on  your  knees  and  ask  for 
your  own  salvation  from  this  wicked  heresy." 

"  Save  a  hundred  souls  from — what?  From — 
whom  ?  "  Northmore  shook  his  head  in  painful  decision. 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  209 

"  From  committing  sin — yes,  but  from  the  vengeance 
of  the  God  who  made  them — never !  " 

The  elder  relaxed  his  tense  attitude  and  leaned  back 
helplessly  in  his  chair :  "  Well,  Northmore,  the  bishop 
warned  me  that  you  would  need  looking  after  when  he 
sent  you  down  here — but  he  never  told  me  what  a  bright 
fellow  you  are — nor  what  a  stiff-necked  one!  You 
surely  have  too  much  good  sense  to  go  off  on  a  tangent 
and  throw  up  a  chance — yes,  a  duty  like  the  one  before 
you.  You  can  only  ruin  yourself  and  harm  others; 
you  can  never  overthrow  the  old  stronghold  of  Chris- 
tianity with  all  your  infidel  reading." 

"  I  don't  propose  to  overthrow  Christianity,  Mr. 
Warner.  I  never  wanted  to  uphold  it  so  much  as  I  do 
now  that  I  see  its  full  purpose.  I  want  to  see  it  stripped 
of  pagan  husks  down  to  the  kernel.  My  reading  has 
strengthened  my  faith ;  the  secular  writers  unconsciously 
offer  the  strongest  argument  for  religion  and  the 
world's  need  of  it ;  their  only  quarrel  is  with  bigotry. 
They  find  God  in  His  laws — not  in  ancient  rites;  the 
greatest  accusation  against  them  is  that  they  do  not 
find  theology — which  is  human." 

"  But  Darwinism  is  an  insult  to  every  Christian " 

"  Did  you  ever  read  him?  " 

"  No,  I  have  no  business  to ;  I  preach  the  gospel.  A 
man  who  is  hard  at  work  saving  souls  has  no  time  to 
find  out  whether  his  grandfather  was  a  monkey,  and  he 
can  point  the  way  to  Heaven  without  knowing.  I 
never  read  a  line  of  the  stuff;  what  business  has  a  min- 
ister to  go  around  hunting  new  heresies  when  there  are 


210  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

enough  old  ones  to  fight.  Leave  such  books  alone  and 
you  will  have  no  trouble  with  your  faith." 

"  I  have  not  lost  my  faith." 

"  What  do  you  propose  to  preach?  " 

"  Only  the  things  of  which  I  am  sure  myself.  I  must 
go  on  with  my  meetings — if  you  are  willing  to  trust 
me.  I  realise  that,  but  I  shall  not  preach  what  Fire- 
stone did  last  night — the  fear  of  eternal  damnation  and 
the  possibility  of  extraneous  propitiation.  I  believe 
that  salvation  must  be  earned,  and  that  each  of  us  must 
earn  it  for  himself.  It  is  from  ourselves  that  we  require 
salvation,  not  from  God,  and  even  His  great  love  cannot 
confer  it  upon  any  man.  It  is  a  developing  of  our  better 
nature  from  within,  not  an  artificial  gift  from  without. 
That  is  not  possible  in  the  nature  of  the  eternal  verities. 
That  is  what  I  will  preach — but  I  will  not  lie  in  the 
pulpit." 

"  You  don't  have  to.  I  don't — nor  the  consecrated 
thousands  who  are  uplifting  the  world.  Let  the  Higher 
Criticism  alone  and  get  back  into  the  harness.  Study 
your  Bible ;  you  won't  find  your  heresies  in  it." 

"  That  is  exactly  where  I  did  find  them." 

"  Not  in  the  Bible !  But,  of  course,  many  a  wicked 
sect  has  been  founded  upon  some  perverted  reading  of 
the  Bible.  It  takes  faith  even  for  that.  Now,  where 
did  you  get  any  such  doctrine  ?  " 

The  elder's  tone  was  gentle;  he  was  patiently  trying 
to  lead  back  a  stray  to  the  fold.  Northmore  rose  again 
and  took  a  turn  across  the  room  before  he  replied :  "  I 
Can  hardly  tell  you  in  a  few  words;  it  has  been  a  side 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

study  for  years.  The  orthodox  conception  of  Christ's 
place  in  our  creed  jarred  me  as  being  too  gross  for  the 
present  spirituality  of  the  church;  it  seemed  that  the 
time  was  ripe  to  strip  off  the  fungus  of  myth  and  com- 
prehend the  pure  and  lofty  principles  of  Christ  in  the 
open  light.  We  have  misunderstood  for  a  long  time: 
Christ  brought  the  love  of  humanity  first  to  the  world — 
yet  was  made,  Himself,  the  first  Hebrew  blood  offering 
upon  Aryan  altars !  He  disdained  ritual — and  was  made 
the  nucleus  of  a  ponderous  system  of  theology!  He 
taught  eternal  life — and  was  proclaimed  the  herald  of 
eternal  death!  The  fusion  of  the  two  world  currents 
of  belief,  the  Greek  and  Hebrew,  was  attributed  to 
Him,  with  the  Atonement  of  the  Shemites  bodily  adopted 
— as  we  have  it  to-day,  in  place  of  the  simple  austerity 
of  His  own  teaching." 

"  But,  my  dear  young  friend,  Christ  taught  that 
great  doctrine." 

"  Not  in  the  New  Testament.  The  propitiatory  idea 
was  old — old  as  the  race.  The  very  first  act  of  human 
worship  was  the  offering  of  sacrifice  in  its  crudest  form, 
merely  the  giving  of  food  to  savage  gods  fierce  with 
hunger,  that,  appeased,  they  might  not  inflict  pesti- 
lence, famine,  and  tempest  from  sheer  rage.  The  sav- 
age mind  knows  only  a  god  in  its  own  image.  The 
Hebrews  when  they  left  Egypt  were  little  above  the 
surrounding  pagans,  and  their  offerings  to  Jehovah 
did  not  differ  from  their  offerings  to  Baal.  The  very 
first  uplift  toward  spiritualisation  of  their  worship  was 
the  burnt  offering." 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

"  I  see  no  spirituality  in  that,"  said  the  elder,  listen- 
ing with  close  attention. 

"  It  was  one  degree  less  gross  when  the  worshipper, 
instead  of  leaving  the  food  for  the  gods  to  decay  upon 
the  altar,  decided  to  burn  it,  that  the  savory  smell  might 
rise  to  the  invisible  god  and  conciliate  him.  Thus,  Noah 
1  builded  an  altar  and  took  of  every  clean  beast  and 
every  clean  fowl  and  offered  burnt  offerings  upon  the 
altar;  and  the  Lord  smelled  a  sweet  savour  and  said  in 
His  heart,  I  will  not  again  curse  the  ground.' ' 

"  The  Hebrews  were  a  most  primitive  race  themselves 
in  that  early  time,"  interpolated  the  elder. 

"  Precisely.  Then,  you  see,  with  the  burnt  offering 
begins  the  office  of  priesthood,  that  of  mediant  between 
the  suppliant  and  a  wrathful  god.  That  was  an  im- 
portant stage  of  the  evolution;  it  marked  the  dawn  of 
intellectual  function  in  the  race  and  the  setting  apart  of 
a  class  for  its  cultivation.  A  still  higher  stage  was 
reached,  long  after,  when  incense  was  substituted  for 
the  materialism  of  the  sacrifice." 

"  I  don't  see  yet  what  all  that  has  to  do  with  our 
doctrine,"  and  there  was  relief  in  the  elder's  tone. 

"  It  is  the  thing  itself.  In  the  course  of  ages  was 
evolved  a  higher  conception  of  the  gods,  that  of  sen- 
tient beings  demanding  revenge  for  personal  indignities, 
instead  of  irrational  monsters  dangerous  from  hunger. 
Then  came  the  awakening  of  conscience  and  the  birth 
of  human  justice.  The  willingness  to  expiate  a  wrong 
could  be  prompted  only  by  knowledge  of  wrongdoing. 
At  this  stage  grew  the  idea  that  it  was  the  shedding  of 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  213 

blood  which  appeased  the  diety.  The  first  code  of  law- 
was  severely  simple:  A  life  for  a  life;  and  its  enforce- 
ment is  first  shown  by  the  attempt  to  avoid  its  penalty 
by  the  substitution  of  another  life  for  that  of  the  cul- 
prit. He  argued  in  his  guilty  soul  that  innocent  blood 
would  be  most  acceptable  to  the  deity — as  well  as  most 
convenient  for  him  to  shed — so  he  substituted  the  thing 
most  precious  in  his  own  eyes,  the  finest  of  his  flocks 
and — alas  for  the  horror  of  it — the  most  pure  and 
precious  human  lives  at  his  mercy !  So  began  the  vi- 
carious atonement  for  sin,  the  sacrifice  of  innocent  blood. 
The  primitive  origin  of  a  rite  is  soon  lost  in  its  for- 
malism, however,  and  in  time  the  offering  came  to  be 
made  in  general  propitiation  for  sin  in  the  aggregate. 

"  In  Exodus,  22,  twenty-ninth  verse,  is  the  command- 
ment, *  Thou  shalt  not  delay  to  offer  the  first  of  thy 
ripe  fruits  and  of  thy  liquors;  the  firstborn  of  thy 
sons  shalt  thou  give  unto  me.'  In  that  command  is  re- 
capitulated the  whole  history  of  sacrifice;  the  fruits, 
the  libations  of  wine,  and  the  sacrifice  of  the  firstborn 
son  as  a  blood  offering.  Now,  in  what  did  such  worship 
differ  from  that  offered  to  Baal  or  Moloch  or  Dagon? 
Can  you  see  any  distinction,  Mr.  Warner?  "  Northmore 
had  seated  himself  before  the  elder  and  held  him  with 
earnest  eyes. 

"  Well,  the  form  does  seem  similar,  though  it  undoubt- 
edly differed  in  spirit.  Naturally,  many  of  their  pagan 
forms  got  mixed  with  the  early  worship  of  God."  The 
elder  withdrew  a  little  as  if  oppressed  by  the  other's 
careful  analysis  of  his  subject. 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

"  Precisely.  Exactly.  And  don't  you  think  that  the 
time  has  now  come  to  separate  those  pagan  forms  from 
the  worship  of  God?  The  conclusion  is,  to  me,  irre- 
sistible. I  have  given  you  the  briefest  synopsis  I  could 
put  into  words.  And  you  see  where  I  stand." 

"  I  don't  see  yet  what  that  has  to  do  with  the  Atone- 
ment as  we  preach  it." 

"  That  came  next  in  the  spiritual  evolution,  the  first 
conception  of  a  dejty  better  than  man.  The  people 
could  now  grasp  the  idea  that  not  vengeance,  but  the 
renunciation  of  a  precious  thing  for  His  sake  was 
grateful  to  the  Lord,  the  germ  of  altruism.  An  ex- 
ample is  the  arrested  sacrifice  of  Isaac.  To  this  stage 
belong  hermit  lives,  vigils,  fastings,  celibacy,  flagella- 
tions. Human  sacrifice  continued  at  least  till  the  time 
of  Jephtha,  but  the  spiritual  idea  gradually  displaced 
it  until  the  next  stage  was  a  long  leap,  appearing  first 
in  Amos,  then  in  Hosea  and  Isaiah,  and  bringing  us  vir- 
tually to  Christianity.  It  taught  that  the  service  God 
requires  of  us  is  love  and  forgiveness  to  our  fellow 
man,  and  that  the  only  sacrifice  acceptable  to  Him 
is  of  our  dearest  vices.  So  the  later  Hebrew  prophets 
taught,  though  many  black  and  bloody  centuries  of 
idolatry  and  of  martyred  innocence  lie  between  the 
pagan  sacrifice  and  the  altruism  of  Christ." 

Northmore's  face  was  luminous  with  feeling,  and  the 
elder's  was  a  strange  study.  The  young  man  got  to  his 
feet  again  and  went  on  impetuously :  "  But  the  saddest 
of  it  all  is,  that  after  we  had  reached  that  exalted  ideal 
we  should  fall  into  one  of  the  dreadful  reversions  that 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  215 

have  turned  back  the  wheels  of  civilisation.  Even  after 
Jesus  had  taught  us  to  say  '  Our  Father,'  we  fell  back 
to  barbarism  and  construed  his  cruel  martyrdom  into  a 
blood  offering — to  the  wrath  of  God.  Now,  you  see 
how  I  have  reached  my  conviction,  and  why  I  can  never 
again  in  the  pulpit  present  that  conception  of  Christ 
as  a  Saviour.  I  could  preach  Christ — with  my  whole 
life,  but  as  the  blood  offering — never." 

Mr.  Warner  went  over  and  laid  a  hand  on  the  young 
man's  shoulder  as  he  stood  before  the  fire :  "  I  am  going 
to  make  one  more  appeal,  Northmore.  I  can't  give  you 
up  without,  for  I  have  grown  more  interested  in  you 
than  ever,  and  I  cared  a  good  deal  before.  I  have  never 
before  had  a  young  man  of  your  power  and  honesty  in 
my  charge,  and  it  simply  breaks  my  heart  to  have  you 
make  shipwreck  so  rashly.  The  Church  needs  men  like 
you,  men  of  the  good  old  stamp.  Hold  your  horses  a 
little  now  and  you  will  see  your  way  to  reconcile  this 
plausible  new  heresy  with  your  old  faith.  Get  down 
and  pray  for  a  fresh  baptism  of  the  spirit,  and  I  will 
pray  for  you  as  I  never  prayed  before." 

Northmore  lifted  the  kind  hand  in  a  warm  grasp  and 
his  face  saddened: 

"  No,  it's  too  late  for  that.  There's  a  complication 
to  the  situation :  You  know  that  we  are  offered  a  munifi- 
cent sum  for  a  new  church  building." 

"  Yes,  indeed,  I  know  it,  and  it  does  seem  as  though 
the  world  had  been  laid  at  your  feet.  I  never  heard  of 
such  a  flood  of  success  in  five  months  in  all  my  life  be- 
fore." 


216  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

"  No,  I  don't  look  at  it  in  that  light.  It's  all  a  part 
of  the  same  question.  Everybody  in  the  country  round 
knows  how  Mr.  Morgan  made  his  money.  It  is  not 
right  for  him  to  make  propitiation  through  us  for  his 
wrongdoing." 

"  You  don't  mean  to  refuse  thirty  thousand  dol- 
lars!" 

"  I  haven't  the  power  to  refuse  it,  but  I  will  not  be  a 
party  to  its  acceptance." 

"  Why,  Northmore !  Have  you  gone  clean  daft  ? 
That  question  has  never  been  raised  in  the  world.  Think 
what  an  opportunity  to  do  good  it  will  offer  to  you ! 
And  to  refuse  it  will  mean  utter  ruin.  Do  you  intend 
to  leave  the  church?  " 

"  Ultimately,  yes.  I  shall  have  to.  It  is  harder  than 
you  imagine — to  fail  because  I  succeed.  I  have  to  break 
faith  with  sacred  obligations  and  dear  friends.  No  one 
will  ever  understand  but  you.  And  you — oh,  you  have 
shown  such  Christian  patience  with  me,  Mr.  Warner ! " 

The  elder  was  not  ready  to  give  him  up,  but  a  quick 
tread  was  coming  up  stairs  and  he  could  only  say, 
"  Don't  take  the  first  step  till  I  have  seen  you  again, 
and  we  have  both  prayed  over  it.  Good-bye,  and  God 
lead  you !  " 

The  thin,  earnest  face  of  Firestone  appeared  in  the 
door  as  the  elder  went  out,  and  he  seemed  to  fill  the  room 
with  electricity. 

"  I  couldn't  stay  away  a  minute  longer.  I  couldn't 
resist  coming  up  to  rejoice  a  little  over  our  joint  meet- 
ing last  night — and  to  apologise  for  rather  taking  it 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

into  my  hands.  I  saw  at  a  glance  that  you  were  ill. 
I  hope  that  you're  better  this  morning." 

**  I  am,  thank  you." 

"  And  we  gathered  in  one  soul  that  is  re j  oiced  over 
on  earth  as  well  as  in  Heaven.  I  could  have  shouted 
when  I  saw  Silence  Garnett  coming  down  the  aisle.  You 
forestalled  me  and  went  home  with  her.  I  hope  that 
you  left  her  in  an  easier  frame  of  mind." 

"  I  certainly  did." 

"  I  hope  that  she  found  peace." 

**  I  think  so.  I  had  a  long  talk  with  her,  in  which  I 
advised  her  not  to  feel  that  she  must  obtain  salvation 
through  an  emotional  cataclysm.  She  is  too  highly 
wrought  a  temperament  for  that — and  there  is  no  need 
of  it." 

"  But  you  say  that  she  was  converted?  " 

"  According  to  my  belief,  yes." 

"  I  hope  that  she  will  see  her  duty  clear  to  devote 
the  service  of  her  talent  and  life  to  God.  I — I — would 
like  to  see  her  myself,  but — she  was  not  down  when  I 
called  a  little  while  ago.  Possibly  she  gave  you  some 
light  on  her  decision." 

"  She  asked  my  opinion,  indirectly,  Mr.  Firestone, 
upon  the  call  of  duty,  and  I  told  her  that  it  must  be 
decided  personally,  but  I  also  told  her  that  only  love 
could  sanction  marriage.  I  don't  believe  that  the  work 
of  the  Lord  will  condone  a  marriage  of  convenience." 

"  You  did !  You  took  it  upon  yourself  to  advise  her 
that?  " 

"  Yes.    I  advised  her  to  marry  you  if  she  loves  you, 


218  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

Mr.  Firestone.  You  have  nothing  to  fear.  You  would 
not  force  a  timid,  sensitive  girl  to  marry  from  any 
other  possible  motive,  would  you  ?  " 

"  I  have  offered  her  a  great  privilege,  Mr.  Northmore. 
I  have  always  suspected  you  of  being  my  rival,  now  I 
shall  take  the  matter  into  my  own  hands — and  I  warn 
you  that  I  will  tolerate  no  more  interference.  Good- 
morning." 

"  Good-bye,  Mr.  Firestone." 

There  were  wild  rumors  afloat  in  Mogadonia  all  that 
day,  traceable  only  to  the  traditional  ears  of  the  walls. 
It  might  have  been  to  this  subtle  influence  that  the  suf- 
focating crowd  at  church  that  evening  was  due — a 
crowd  of  the  very  young  people  whom  Northmore  had 
so  longed  to  reach — but  it  was  the  magnetism  of  utter 
sincerity  which  held  their  attention  and  drew  them  again, 
night  after  night.  The  youth  of  a  country  town  are 
a  flock  with  a  leader,  and  when  the  leader  joined  the 
church  one  night  a  little  later  her  followers  came  sol- 
idly in  her  wake,  regardless  of  parental  affiliations.  The 
absence  of  Divine  penology  from  Northmore's  preach- 
ing did  not  prevent  his  influence  from  sweeping  the  town 
like  a  contagion,  and  sending  new  members  into  all  the 
other  churches. 

Once  during  the  early  progress  of  the  meeting  Mr. 
Warner  brought  to  Northmore's 'study  one  of  the  lead- 
ing ministers  of  the  denomination  from  an  Eastern  city. 
It  did  not  occur  to  the  young  minister  at  the  time  that 
Dr.  Dinwiddie  had  come  for  the  purpose  of  a  confer- 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  219 

ence  with  him,  but  he  never  learned  of  any  other  possible 
errand  that  could  have  accounted  for  his  presence.  The 
great  man  gave  little  time  to  commonplaces.  He  went 
promptly  to  Northmore's  phenomenal  success,  and  then 
to  the  wonder  of  his  proposed  defection.  He  had  a  rich 
voice,  and  a  beautiful  fatherly  face  with  a  crown  of 
white  hair.  Northmore  was  greatly  attracted  to  him. 

"  It's  a  very  serious  step  to  take,  Mr.  Northmore. 
You  must  consider  with  great  care  what  a  deplorable 
effect  it  will  have  on  your,  congregation.  We  preachers 
are  not  free  agents,  you  know.  Don't  under  any  con- 
sideration break  your  pastoral  ties  now  and  undo  the 
good  you  have  done.  You  can't  have  any  creed  so  op- 
posed to  the  one  you  accepted  as  that,"  he  begged. 

Northmore  winced.  It  was  precisely  the  question 
upon  which  he  had  been  desperately  wavering  for  the 
past  ten  days. 

"  I  don't  see  any  alternative,  Dr.  Dinwiddie." 

"  Our  church  allows  us  great  latitude  of  personal  in- 
terpretation. You  needn't  refuse  to  preach  because  you 
have  individual  opinions.  We're  glad  of  them — and  I 
speak  with  authority.  Have  you  realised  that  your 
responsibility  corresponds  with  your  great  power  for 
good  or  evil  ?  " 

"  Yes — that  is — I  don't  know !  "  he  groaned  miser- 
ably. "  If  it  were  a  matter  of  mere  interpretation — 
but  it's  the  doctrine  of  the  Holy  Catholic  church 
which  I  am  ordained  to  preach.  To  stay  in  this  pulpit  is 
a  daily  falsehood." 

"  Wait  a  little,  brother.     We  are  ahead  of  our  peo- 


220  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

pie — some  of  us — and  most  of  us  have  to  keep  back  a 
part  of  our  own  belief  until  our  congregations  grow  to 
it.  Try  a  compromise." 

"  When  Reason  lays  hold  of  a  truth,  Conscience  will 
not  compromise." 

"  Not  at  your  age,  perhaps,"  smiled  Dr.  Dinwiddie. 
"  Youth  is  absolute,  inexorable,  and  fond  of  self-immo- 
lation on  remote  altars.  Experience  makes  one  doubt 
whether  anything  is  absolute,  and  convinces  him  that  all 
knowledge  is  a  compromise  with  tradition.  Christ  was 
the  greatest  compromise  of  all." 

"  That  was  necessary." 

*'  Then  as  now.  We  ministers  are  dealing  with  a  pon- 
derous force  of  vast  antiquity.  Every  thinking  man 
of  us  deplores  certain  barbaric  survivals  in  it,  but  its 
very  hold  upon  the  people  prevents  our  dissecting  it 
with  X-ray  and  lancet.  Now,  is  it  better  to  resign  a 
trust  you  have  assumed  with  great  success,  create  a 
sensation  which  would  disrupt  your  church  and  do  the 
cause  of  religion  great  harm,  or  to  accept  a  few  flaws 
and  do  a  work  that  will  change  the  future  of  your 
church  and  have  a  great  effect  in  uplifting  the  town? 
No — don't  decide  now.  Take  time.  Think  it  over  well, 
and  over  the  generous  offer  for  your  new  edifice." 

"  Is  that  your  advice  ?  " 

"  Many  a  sincere  man  is  feeding  his  flock  on  crumbs 
until  they  are  ready  to  digest  crusts.  I  am  doing  it 
myself,  while  our  creed  is  so  liberal  that  Mr.  Warner 
here,  a  strict  literalist  of  the  old  school,  preaches  doc- 
trine undefiled.  He  calls  me  a  dissenter." 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  221 

"  But  yours  are  not  radical  differences.  I  am  eager 
to  do  good ;  I  see  the  great  need — but " 

"  Then  -why  don't  you  do  it?  " 

"  Because  I  will  not  preach  Divine  penology — and  I 
will  not  permit  an  unscrupulous  man  to  subsidise  my 
church.  We  can't  sell  indulgences  in  this  day." 

"  But  the  Church  can't  take  that  stand.  It  would 
abridge  its  usefulness  immensely.  Accept  the  degree 
of  penitence  which  the  act  implies." 

"  That  is  the  exact  issue  that  I  make.  Propitiation 
is  not  restitution  to  the  wronged  ones.  The  Church 
rebukes  small  sins — why  not  great  ones?  The  fallacy 
by  which  we  accept  an  offering  to  condone  business  rob- 
bery is  inconsistent.  We  must  not  lay  upon  our  altars 
offerings  to  Mammon." 

"  As  old  as  the  race  is  the  material  offering  of  the 
first  fruits." 

"  Yes,  but  we  are  a  new  age  with  a  new  conscience, 
and  we  demand  a  new  standard."  He  turned  to  the  win- 
dow and  added  aside :  "  I  am  afraid  of  myself  in  stand- 
ing for  a  new  test — afraid  that  my  courage  would  fail 
me — for  it  comes  to  me  in  a  crucial  way  personally. 
Mr.  Morgan  has  been  almost  my  best  friend  during  the 
winter — he  has — his — his  family  have  shown  me  every 
courtesy — and  now  I  am  put  in  a  position  where  I  must 
be — false — either  to  my  convictions  or — my  friends !  I 
can't  do  either,  so  I  must  go  away." 

Dr.  Dinwiddie  was  a  man  of  large  experience,  and  he 
read  deep  behind  Northmore's  difficult  words  and  long 
pauses.  Then  the  two  old  preachers  looked  at  each 


222 

other  and  at  the  big,  virile  frame  charged  with  the  im- 
petuous force  of  youth,  at  the  strong  chin  and  stub- 
born mouth.  It  was  Mr.  Warner  who  spoke: 

"Well,  well,  my  dear  fellow,  you're  going  too  far! 
You've  got  to  deal  with  people  as  they're  created ;  you 
can't  get  church  members  made  to  order.  If  they  were 
— you  and  I  would  be  out  of  work.  Try  to  make  them 
better." 

Northmore  smiled  hopelessly :  "  Then  you'd  have  me 
take  the  Morgan  offer  ?  " 

'*  By  all  means.  It  would  never  occur  to  me  to  do 
anything  else.  It  is  without  all  precedent.  And  you 
could  do  great  good  with  it." 

"  It  didn't  strike  me  that  that  was  the  question. 
Is  it  right  to  condone  legalised  robbery  by  accepting 
tribute  from  it?  " 

Dr.  Dinwiddie  shook  his  head  hopelessly  at  Mr.  War- 
ner with  a  queer  smile,  but  neither  saw  fit  to  answer  as 
they  rose  to  go.  In  the  afternoon  Dr.  Dinwiddie  went 
back  alone  for  a  last  plea.  Northmore  looked  pale  and 
worn  with  conflict. 

"  No,  I  have  got  to  do  it.  I  don't  know  why  such 
convictions  must  seize  me  when  they  mean  the  ruin 
of  my  life — all  that  I  hold  most  precious — but  I  can't 
temporise.  It  is  a  square  issue.  If  the  Church  is  to 
hold  as  a  moral  force  in  the  world,  it  is  up  to  me  right 
now  to  do  this  thing." 

"  You're  a  fanatic,  Northmore." 

"  The  fanatic  of  one  generation  is  the  teacher  of 
the  next." 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  223 

The  doctor  went  back  to  Mr.  Warner :  "  My  trip 
was  in  vain ;  I  have  failed,"  he  said.  "  That  man  is  one 
of  the  stiff-necked !  " 

"  Who  must  butt  out  their  brains  to  prove  there's  a 
wall,"  finished  the  other,  throwing  down  his  paper  im- 
patiently. 

"  He  hasn't  butted  out  his  brains,  my  good  friend. 
He  has  butted  down  the  wall — though  he  doesn't  know 
that  yet.  As  the  poor  fellow  says,  some  man  has  to  raise 
the  issue — and  it  takes  martyr  stuff  to  do  it.  I  didn't 
deny  the  truth  of  his  proposition,  nor  the  morality  of  it. 
You  and  I  know  that  it  is  a  bad  thing  for  that  church 
and  for  a  young  fellow  whom  we  can't  help  loving.  But 
fifty  years  hence — or  a  good  deal  less  than  that — his 
stand  will  be  the  common  law  of  morality." 

"  You're  wrong  there,  doctor ;  if  there's  one  thing  the 
Church  must  do,  it's  to  prop  up  the  old  walls  and 
man  them,"  said  Mr.  Warner  positively. 

"  I  don't  believe  that.  The  day  is  almost  upon  us 
when  there'll  be  no  walls  of  doctrine — nothing  but  the 
eternal  law  of  right  and  wrong,"  replied  Dr.  Din- 
widdie. 


CHAPTER    XVI 

THEKE  was  a  conceited  satisfaction  in  the  swing  of 
Northmore's  gait  which  indexed  his  mood  as  he  mounted 
the  road  to  the  Ellis  cabin  on  a  sunny  afternoon  in  Feb- 
ruary, reviewing  as  he  walked  his  psychological  history 
of  the  past  months,  now  that  it  had  become  history  by 
his  formal  resignation  and  the  appointment  of  a  suc- 
cessor. He  had  carried  his  meeting  to  a  brilliant  fin- 
ish and  had  stood  firm  in  his  conviction  despite  the 
temptations  to  reconsider  which  had  assailed  him.  Bet- 
ter than  all  this,  and  he  gloated  upon  it  with  secret  tri- 
umph, he  had  torn  from  his  heart  the  unbidden  love 
that  was  rooted  there;  he  had  reached  a  point  where 
the  image  of  a  lovely  face  was  not  always  present  in 
his  consciousness.  He  could  now  exorcise  it  at  will  by 
quoting  a  remembered  passage  or  poem  or  plunging 
deep  into  a  metaphysical  problem.  He  had  proved  how 
completely  a  man  of  any  strength  of  character  can 
become  master  of  himself,  and  he  wars  a  bit  proud  of 
the  conquest.  It  would  not  have  been  necessary  so 
ruthlessly  to  burn  his  bridges  behind  him  for  his  own 
sake. 

The  train  of  thought  absorbed  him  so  entirely  that 
he  was  surprised  to  find  himself  almost  at  the  cabin, 
which  he  had  been  obliged  to  neglect  during  the  rush  of 
the  winter's  work,  though  he  had  known  through  the  bul- 

224 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

letin  of  daily  news  at  Mrs.  Jernigan's  table  that  Mrs. 
Ellis  was  provided  for  until  within  a  few  days.  This 
morning,  however,  it  had  been  announced  that  she  was 
worse,  was  destitute  again,  and  was  to  be  removed  to 
the  county  infirmary  the  next  day ;  hence  he  was  hurry- 
ing up  to  verify  the  report  and  to  see  what  could 
be  done  for  her. 

The  memory  of  the  first  time  he  had  gone  up  that 
road,  with  the  bright  presence  at  his  side  that  had 
grown  so  dear,  recurred  to  him  vividly,  but  he  dis- 
missed it  with  cold  stoicism,  at  least  he  was  engaged 
in  so  disposing  of  it  when  his  heart  gave  a  plunge  that 
choked  him  and  then  stood  still;  his  face  grew  hot 
and  then  pale;  his  pulses  hammered  deafeningly  in 
his  ears,  and  all  at  the  sight  of  a  small  run-about 
and  a  slim  black  horse  tied  at  the  gate  of  the  Ellis 
cabin.  For  one  moment  he  stood  irresolute,  and  then 
at  a  swift  thought  he  sprang  forward  with  protec- 
tive instinct.  The  one  restraint  he  had  imposed  upon 
his  action  regarding  Mr.  Morgan's  gift  had  been  the 
shielding  of  his  daughter  from  all  painful  knowledge 
that  might  lead  her  to  judge  her  father.  Now  she  was 
probably  alone  with  Mrs.  Ellis,  and  he  knew  the  revela- 
tion that  would  be  made  unless  he  was  in  time  to  pre- 
vent it.  He  knocked  sharply  at  the  door,  which  was 
immediately  opened — by  Florida  Morgan. 

"  Oh,  Mr.  Northmore,  I  am  so  glad  you  have  come ! " 
she  cried,  giving  him  her  hand  with  the  old  friendliness. 
"  I  have  heard  such  things  about  you — and  now  you 
are  going  to  tell  me  that  they  are  not  true." 


226  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

"  That  depends.  I  didn't  know  that  you '  had  re- 
turned. When  did  you  get  home  ?  "  He  was  looking 
around  for  a  place  to  deposit  his  hat  and  coat  and 
found  a  nail  on  the  back  door  that  served.  He  turned 
back  as  she  answered: 

"  Only  yesterday.  I  had  to  take  a  hack  over  from 
Bellevue  because  the  limited  doesn't  stop  at  this  sta- 
tion, and  the  driver,  who  used  to  work  in  the  grounds, 
told  me  that  Mr.  Ellis  died  last  fall  and — that  Mrs. 
Ellis  was  very  ill,  so  I  came  right  over  to-day.  Father 
is  not  at  home,  and  I  knew  that  he  would  not  hear 
of  her — being  moved  from  her  house.  Mr.  Ellis  used 
to  work  for  father  at  the  little  factory  a  long  time 
ago,  when  he  knew  all  the  men  personally,  and  I 
know  he  was  a  great  favourite.  He  stopped  work  for 
some  reason,  and  we  lost  sight  of  him  entirely  until 
the  day  that  you  and  I  found  them  by  chance,  that  day 
last  fall.  I  used  to  go  to  school  with  Bessie  Ellis — 
she  was  the  brightest  girl  in  the  class.  I  am  so  glad 
you  have  come  to  tell  me  what  to  do  about  the  situa- 
tion." 

"  How  long  have  you  been  here  ?  "  was  his  irrelevant 
question  as  he  stood  by  the  bed  with  Mrs.  Ellis's  skele- 
ton hand  in  his  and  her  eyes  fixed  upon  him  with  a 
dangerous  expression. 

"  I  have  just  come.  I  was  telling  her  who  I  am  when 
you  knocked.  You  remember  me  now,  don't  you,  Mrs. 
Ellis?  You  are  not  to  be  taken  away  to-morrow.  You 
are  going  to  stay  right  in  your  home  as  long  as  you 
want  to,  and  your  friends  are  not  going  to  let  you  be 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  227 

troubled  about  anything.  You  must  have  someone  to 
stay  in  the  house  regularly  and  take  care  of  you;  that 
is  the  first  thing  to  be  attended  to.  Do  you  know  some- 
one that  you  would  like?  " 

The  woman  raised  her  ghost  of  a  body  on  the  pillow 
and  her  sunken  eyes  brightened :  "  Who's  goin'  to  pay 
for  anything?  "  she  demanded  in  a  bronchial  whisper. 

"  Don't  worry  about  that.  You  have  friends  who 
will  be  glad  to  look  after  such  things." 

"  They've  ben  a  long  time  comin',"  she  gasped.  "  I 
want  to  know  who's  goin'  to  pay  anything  now." 

Florida  bent  over  and  took  the  hand  that  Northmore 
had  released :  "  I  am,  Mary.  I  can  hardly  bear  to  think 
of  all  that  you  must  have  needed  in  the  past,  but  from 
this  time  you  shall  have  everything  you  want.  I  will 
see  to  it  myself  until  father  gets  home,  and  I  know  he 
will  make  a  permanent  provision  for  you.  You  know 
how  good  and  kind  father  is,  Mary,  and  he  will  be 
grieved  to  know  that  you  have  needed  anything.  He 
hasn't  known  about  it." 

The  tone  was  so  sympathetic  and  the  girl's  presence 
so  gentle  that  it  appeared  impossible  to  resent  her  char- 
ity, but  Northmore  saw  the  sick  woman  gather  her 
strength  as  if  for  a  spring,  and  he  edged  Florida  away 
from  the  bed  with  his  arm  and  interposed  quickly : 

"  I  believe  that  the  best  thing  you  can  do,  Miss  Mor- 
gan, is  to  drive  down  and  send  Mrs.  Jernigan  up  at  once. 
The  case  seems  to  be  urgent,  and  she  will  know  much 
better  than  either  of  us  what  is  needed  and  how  to 
get  it." 


228  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

"  That's  true,"  assented  Florida.  "  We  are  tiring 
her  out  with  talk  when  there  are  things  to  do.  I'll  try 
to  make  her  comfortable  before  I  go — and  you  may 
fix  up  the  fire.  It  is  dreadfully  cold  in  here.  I'll  make 
her  a  cup  of  tea,"  and  she  opened  the  door  into  the 
other  room.  Northmore  suspected  that  it  was  no  use 
to  look  for  coal,  but  he  took  up  the  old  basket  which 
evidently  served  for  a  hod  and  went  out.  There  was 
not  even  a  chip  in  the  shed.  Florida  returned  from  her 
search  with  a  horrified  face,  while  Mrs.  Ellis  tried  so 
eagerly  to  speak  to  her  that  she  fell  into  a  fit  of 
coughing.  The  girl  tenderly  wrapped  the  bedclothes 
about  her  and  held  her  until  she  lay  back  exhausted. 
There  was  literally  nothing  to  give  her  but  a  drink  of 
water  in  a  broken  teacup. 

"  Oh,  you  poor  dear !  By  this  time  to-morrow  you 
will  be  so  comfortable,  and  you  shall  never  again  be 
neglected.  Oh,  you  poor,  poor  sufferer ! "  whispered 
the  girl  with  tears  on  her  cheeks  while  she  tenderly 
patted  the  wasted  hands.  "  Now,  Mr.  Northmore,  won't 
you  please  get  to  the  nearest  telephone  and  order — just 
order  everything — as  fast  as  you  can.  Get  a  load  of 
coal  first — have  them  rush  it  up  to-night — and  provi- 
sions— tea,  and — well,  just  everything.  I  can't  think 
what  to  begin  with — fruit  and  wine  and  jelly — and 
some  pretty,  soft  blankets " 

"  Who's  goin'  to  pay  for  'em  ?  "  demanded  the  sick 
woman's  hoarse  whisper  again,  "  I  ain't  got  a  cent." 

"  It  will  be  my  privilege  to  do  it,  Mary,"  said  Florida, 
patting  and  smoothing  her  shoulders. 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  229 

"  No,  you  won't !  No,  you  won't !  "  cried  Mrs.  El- 
lis in  an  unearthly  voice,  twitching  away  from  the 
caressing  hands.  "  I'm  goin'  to  the  poorhouse,  where 
I  belong.  You  ain't  goin'  to  buy  nothing  for  me.  I'll 
die  as  hard  as  my  child  died,  and  my  husband,  without  a 
bite  to  eat  when  the  death  hunger  came.  I  don't  blame 
you,  Florida,  you  was  a  sweet  little  girl,  and  it  was  never 
your  fault,  but  my  man  never  took  a  cent  that  came 
from  Tom  Morgan,  and  I  won't,  either." 

"  Go  after  Mrs.  Jernigan  at  once,"  commanded 
Northmore,  drawing  the  girl  away  in  an  agony  of  ap- 
prehension. "  I  will  stay  here  and — make  it  all  right. 
It  has  been  a  long  siege  and  she  is  embittered.  Go  at 
once;  the  house  is  growing  colder."  He  gave  her  her 
gloves  and  opened  the  door. 

"  You  will  stay  here  till  I  get  back?  "  she  asked  as  he 
helped  her  into  the  runabout  and  handed  her  the  reins. 

"  Yes,  indeed." 

"  I  shall  not  be  long.  You  coax  her  up ;  she  is  out  of 
her  head,  poor  creature,"  and  she  was  off,  her  horse 
sliding  and  splashing  down  the  muddy  road,  upon  which 
the  last  trace  of  snow  had  thawed.  Northmore  returned 
to  the  room  and  busied  himself  getting  materials  for  a 
fire  from  the  next  house,  and  making  it.  He  put  water 
to  heat,  knowing  that  it  would  be  needed  when  Florida 
returned.  As  soon  as  he  had  got  the  room  fairly  warm 
he  went  to  the  sick  woman's  side  to  try  to  reconcile  her 
to  acceptance,  but  she  had  fallen  asleep  and  he  would 
not  wake  her.  In  a  very  short  time  Florida  returned 
with  a  basket  of  the  things  most  urgently  needed. 


230 

"  I  wouldn't  let  her  talk  at  all  if  it  can  be  prevented," 
he  suggested  nervously  as  he  helped  her  out.  "  She 
will  only  exhaust  herself  and  she  is  hardly  sane." 

"  No,  she  must  be  kept  quiet,"  the  girl  assented. 

The  kettle  was  boiling  on  the  one  stove  which  served 
for  all  purposes  when  they  went  in,  and  the  two  at 
once  set  about  making  toast  and  tea,  which  they  finally 
achieved  without  disaster  in  their  lack  of  skill. 

"  I  went  to  Mrs.  Jernigan  as  you  suggested,  and  she 
told  me  what  to  get.  I  wanted  her  to  come  right  up 
with  me,  but  she  said  that  she  would  go  after  a  woman 
to  stay  all  night  and  come  up  later  herself,"  whispered 
Florida,  her  eyes  on  the  sleeper. 

"  Then  all  will  go  well  if  you  have  put  her  into  Mrs. 
Jernigan's  hands,"  and  there  was  relief  in  Northmore's 
voice.  "  You  need  not  even  stay  until  she  comes.  I 
will  see  that  Mrs.  Ellis  has  her  tea  when  she  wakes  up." 

Florida  turned  upon  him :  "  Why  are  you  in  such 
haste  to  send  me  off?  I  propose  to  stay  until  help  comes, 
and  then  you  are  going  to  drive  me  home.  It  will  be 
growing  dark  by  that  time  and  the  road  from  here 
across  to  the  pike  is  almost  impassable.  You  have  to 
give  an  account  of  yourself.  I  have  not  had  a  moment 
to  ask  you  if  you  actually  are  going  to  leave  Moga- 
donia.  I  have  heard  some  ridiculous  rumors  about  it." 

He  smiled,  but  did  not  answer.  It  was  not  easy 
to  tell  her.  A  neighbour  came  in  presently,  and  North- 
more  took  the  occasion  to  propose  going.  The  woman 
was  the  one  who  had  taken  charge  of  the  Ellises  for 
years,  as  he  knew.  Florida  protested  a  little,  but  finallyj 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  231 

consented,  saying  that  she  would  come  again  in  the 
morning,  when  supplies  would  have  arrived  and  she 
could  be  of  greater  use.  He  hurried  her  out  to  the 
runabout  as  the  sick  woman  opened  her  eyes  and  the 
neighbour  went  to  her  with  the  tea. 

"  Now,  aren't  you  going  to  tell  me  all  about  it  ?  " 
she  asked  as  soon  as  they  were  tucked  up  in  the  lap- 
robe.  "  Who  started  the  rumor  that  you  are  leaving 
Mogadonia?  " 

"  It  is  true." 

"  No-o !  "  The  soft  little  cry  of  consternation  un- 
nerved him.  He  was  trying  to  steel  himself  to  her  pres- 
ence. 

"  It  is  true." 

"  What  can  it  mean  ?  The  whole  place  is  ringing 
with  your  praise.  Nothing  like  your  work  has  ever 
been  known  here  before." 

He  was  guiding  the  horse  over  a  bad  curve  and  made 
no  reply. 

"  You  will  at  least  tell  me  that  it  is  not  a  calamity 
which  takes  you  away  unwillingly,"  she  insisted  after  a 
pause.  "  Something  of  the  kind  was  suggested — and 
you  will  take  me  into  your  confidence  to  that  extent, 
won't  you  ?  " 

"  I  am  going  as  quietly  as  possible  on  account  of  my 
church.  I  don't  want  sensational  reports  to  unsettle 
the  people  who  have  come  in  during  the  winter.  My 
father  died  recently  and  my  mother  wishes  me  to  close 
up  his  business.  That  is  one  reason.  There  is  another 
which  is  purely  personal." 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

"  Ah !  But  you  haven't  yet  revealed  what  I  want  to 
know — your  own  part  in  it.  Your  place  here  can  never 
be  filled  by  anyone  else;  you  are  leaving  before  you 
have  crystallised  yourself  into  a  permanent  effect.  It 
is  a  great  pity,  and  I  can't  tell  whether  something  sor- 
did, some  need  of  others — of  your  mother's — is  taking 
you,  as  I  suspect,  or  whether  you  are  going  of  your 
own  wish — which  I  don't  believe.  It  would  be  wrong 
to  allow  a  mere  business  matter  to  break  up  your  fu- 
ture; it  would  be  a  sacrifice  that  your — friends — could 
not  allow." 

The  diffidence  of  her  tone  showed  how  much  more  she 
would  like  to  say  if  she  dared.  Northmore's  senses 
were  reeling  at  the  best.  A  wave  of  regret  had  washed 
away  all  his  high  resolve,  all  his  self-righteous  arro- 
gance of  the  early  afternoon.  He  only  knew  that  he 
was  sitting  beside  the  one  woman — that  his  coatsleeve 
touched  hers,  that  physically  they  were  so  near  that  his 
arm  could  encircle  her,  though  practically  separated  by 
a  hemisphere  of  circumstance.  They  had  driven  through 
town  and  out  upon  the  pike  to  Heathermuir,  across 
which  the  shadow  of  the  hills  was  now  falling.  He 
could  see  with  a  side  glance  the  lovely  curve  of  her 
cheek  above  the  high  collar  of  her  fur  coat,  and  the 
soft  loose  rings  of  hair  that  drooped  upon  her  forehead. 
He  could  divine  what  was  going  on  in  her  mind;  sym- 
pathy for  the  supposed  financial  stress  which  made  it 
necessary  for  him  to  break  from  his  calling,  and  a  desire 
to  remove  it  out  of  the  abundance  which  so  oppressed 
her — checkmated  by  the  impossibility  of  offering  it. 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  233 

Yes,  out  of  her  pure  goodness  and  unselfishness  she  was 
taking  his  affairs  to  heart  and  longing  to  help  him. 
What  would  she  think  if  she  knew  the  storm  of  love 
that  was  raging  in  his  heart?  She  must  not  know,  that 
was  all !  The  plunk-plunk  of  the  horse's  feet  upon  the 
bridge  roused  her  from  the  puzzled  revery  into  which 
she  had  fallen : 

"  That  is  the  place  where  I  was  marooned  the  day 
you  found  and  rescued  me ;  how  long  ago  it  seems ! " 

She  bent  forward  to  look  down  into  the  full  yellow 
torrent  that  swept  high  under  the  bridge  and  lashed  the 
rim  of  the  bank. 

"  We  have  lived  some  since  then,"  he  said  gravely. 

She  looked  up  quickly  into  his  face.  "  Yes.  It  is  such 
a  little  while,  and  yet  I  seem  to  have  known  you  so  long ; 
I  knew  you  the  moment  I  saw  you.  Wasn't  it  strange? 
We  were  old  acquaintances  instantly.  And  you  under- 
stood me  without  words,  and  helped  me.  Oh,  I  had 
planned  such  things  to  do  with  you!  Olive  Drysdale 
has  fairly  spent  the  winter  in  studying  the  city  philan- 
thropies with  me.  She  said  you  could  accomplish  any- 
thing you  undertook,  you  had  such  an  executive 
quality.  I  have  come  home  full  of  her  ideas  and  of 
enthusiasm — and  now  it  is  all  useless.  We  were  great 
friends  before  I  left,  and  now  you  are  so  lofty  you 
won't  let  me  help  you  in  your  trouble  at  all." 

"  That  would  be  weakness,"  he  managed  to  say, 
adding  before  she  found  an  answer,  "  As  for  help,  you 
can  have  the  best  co-operation.  Miss  Garnett  told  me 
that  she  had  written  to  you  of  her  engagement." 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

"  Yes,  she  wrote  a  lovely  letter.  She  is  very  happy ; 
I  was  quite  taken  with  Mr.  Harrington  last  fall,  and 
you  may  guess  how  glad  I  was  to  know  that  it  wasn't 
Africa."  She  laughed  reminiscently :  "  You  wouldn't 
marry  her  yourself  to  please  me,  but  you  did  the  next 
best  thing." 

"  You  will  find  her  full  of  enthusiasm  in  the  plans 
you  have  for  Mogadonia,  with  an  able  lieutenant  in  Mr. 
Harrington.  And  there  is  always  Mrs.  Jernigan." 

They  rounded  a  curve  of  the  road  and  the  thick  red  of 
the  winter  sunset  illuminated  two  faces  which  revealed 
more  than  their  light  words  were  saying.  Another  turn 
carried  them  into  the  cut  between  two  hills,  from  whose 
thawing  moisture  came  down  the  first  faint  scent  of  the 
spring.  In  the  gloom  of  the  evening  the  bare  twigs  of 
the  woods  showed  only  in  a  purple  haze  about  the  tree 
trunks.  The  two  in  the  runabout  were  silent  with 
crowding  thought  which  would  not  form  itself  to  ade- 
quate speech  in  the  fleeting  moments  before  they  reached 
the  house. 

"  You  must  come  in,"  said  Florida  imperatively,  as  he 
helped  her  out  under  the  porte-cochere.  "  Oh,  yes,  yes. 
I  will  take  no  excuse.  You  can  telephone  to  Susan.  It 
may  be  the  last  time,  you  know,  and  there  are  many 
plans  about  which  you  must  advise  me.  After  dinner 
I  will  send  you  home  in  a  carriage." 

It  appeared  to  him  that  there  was  no  way  out  of  it; 
it  was  far  easier  to  yield  to  temptation  under  the  inevit- 
able than  voluntarily. 

The  dinner  was  quiet,  for  Mr.  Morgan  was  out  of 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  235 

town,  and  Mrs.  Morgan  essayed  only  a  few  difficult  at- 
tempts at  conversation,  leaving  Florida  to  talk  of  the 
schemes  she  had  developed  under  Olive  Drysdale's  super- 
vision during  the  winter.  Afterward  her  mother  ex- 
cused herself  and  Florida  led  her  guest  to  a  little  soft- 
hued  room  in  which  a  wood  fire  was  cheerily  snapping. 

"  Now,"  she  said  when  she  had  ensconced  him  in  a 
deep  chair,  "  you  are  going  to  remember  what  old 
friends  we  are,  and  take  me  into  your  confidence.  I 
know  very  well  that  you  haven't  told  me  the  true  rea- 
son for  giving  up  your  dear  work.  I  know  that  it 
must  be  almost  a  tragic  one — and  yet — dt  may  be 
something  that — that  it  would  be  a  great  privilege 
to  avert — if — if  you  would  allow  your  friends  such 
a  pleasure.  And  you  are  not  unkind." 

He  saw  how  much  it  cost  her  to  try  to  penetrate  his 
reserve.  She  was  sitting  opposite  on  a  low  seat  with 
the  firelight  playing  exquisitely  over  her  sensitive  face. 
His  own  flushed  hotly. 

"  It  is  not  so  bad  as  that,  Miss  Morgan.  It  is  not 
a — a  financial  difficulty  that  influences  me.  It  is  some- 
thing more  vital  than  that — and  I  think  I  must  tell 
you.  I  have  gone  over  it  again  and  again,  night 
and  day,  in  the  last  few  months.  It  is  a  matter 
of  doctrine,  of  belief.  I  can  no  longer  preach  in  an 
orthodox  church.  It  has  been  as  hard  to  break  my 
ties  as  human  action  could  be — and  I  beg  you  not 
to  add  to  the  difficulty.  Don't  disapprove,  please.  I 
couldn't  stand  it." 

"  But  I  shall.     Mr.  Northmore,  is  that  all?     Oh,  I 


236  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

am  so  glad.  I  was  afraid  it  might  be  something  serious ; 
why  didn't  you  tell  me  in  the  first  place — and  not  let 
me  worry?  What  is  it — something  about  baptism?  " 

"  It  would  take  a  long  time  to  tell  you." 

"  But  you  needn't  leave  your  church  on  that  account. 
People  have  all  sorts  of  differences  now,  and  all  the 
churches  are  growing  so  near  that  they  are  merely  the 
different  colleges  of  a  great  university.  Why,  Olive  is 
an  Episcopalian  and  I  am  a  Baptist,  and  for  our  lives 
we  couldn't  tell  the  difference  in  our  religion." 

"  But,  you  see,  I  was  pledged  to  preach  the  tenets 
of  my  own  church,  and  I  have  no  right  to  introduce 
what  would  be  heresy  there.  It  cannot  be  helped  now, 
Miss  Morgan,  and  when  I  am  sane  I  am  glad  I  had 
firmness  enough  to  do  it." 

"  And  you  are  going  to  preach  in  some  other 
church? " 

"  I  don't  know  what  I  am  going  to  do.  I  am  utterly 
adrift." 

"  That  is  impossible !  When  you  have  such  ability 
— and  there  is  so  much  to  do!  I  saw  sights  in  the 
city  that  will  haunt  me  forever.  I  feel  like  climbing 
stone  stairs  on  my  knees  to  atone  for  living  in  unneces- 
sary luxury  when  there  is  such  awful  misery!  You  see 
I  have  a  lot  of  time  here  to  think  about  these  things — 
and  Olive  is  giving  herself  up  more  and  more  to  her 
charities.  Why  can't  you — go  into  some  of  them — for 
a  mission?  " 

She  had  drawn  closer  in  her  enthusiasm  and  her 
voice  was  sweeter  than  anything  he  had  ever  heard. 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  237 

He  was  holding  the  arms  of  his  chair  with  rigid  hands, 
and  the  power  of  speech  appeared  to  have  left  him.  He 
turned  his  gaze  to  the  fire. 

"  You  see  you  haven't  the  ghost  of  a  reason,"  she 
laughed,  leaning  forward,  with  luminous  eyes.  She 
was  wonderfully  beautiful  in  the  pink  light,  while  the 
wistful  persuasiveness  in  her  voice  told  unsaid  things. 
"  Isn't  it  a  duty  to  use  a  large  talent  for  the  good 
of  others — and  to  help  stupid  people  to  use  their — 
good  intentions  for  the  same  purpose?  You — you 
— are  taking  away  my  usefulness  as  well — don't  you 
see?  We  could  do  so  much — working  togeth — work- 
ing in  harmony." 

He  did  not  answer  for  a  long  minute  or  two,  in  which 
the  fire  hummed  cosily.  His  voice  was  hard  with  the 
effort  to  speak  when  he  said :  "  Even  a  priest  may  have 
some  manhood;  there  are  conditions  which  he  may  not 
accept;  some  vestige  of  dignity  must  assert  itself. 
Please  remember  that  I  am  very  human — and  don't 
make  it  too  hard  for  me !  " 

"  I  don't  understand.  Why  must  it  be — if  it  is 
hard?  A  minister  does  not  take  monastic  vows  and 
fast  away  his  strength  in  these  days.  He  works  and — 
helps  other  people  to  work." 

He  did  not  know  how  to  reply ;  he  did  not  understand 
what  hope  of  usefulness  might  be  veiled  under  her 
words;  he  only  knew  that  every  other  consideration 
was  for  him  swept  away  by  her  gentle,  womanly,  ir- 
resistible sweetness. 

"  That  is  what  you  don't  know,  Miss  Morgan.    There 


238  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

was  never  a  time  when  a  priest  must  so  completely 
efface  self  as  now.  He  must  not  only  accept  perpetual 
poverty  like  a  monk,  but  the  monk's  abject  position  in 
the  world's  thought.  He  must  renounce — the — dearest 
— object  of  life,  must  be  humiliated  while  his  soul  is 
torn  asunder." 

The  difficult  words  would  hardly  come,  under  her 
gaze.  He  looked  into  the  fire,  while  the  room  was  so 
still  that  he  could  hear  her  soft,  near  breathing.  The 
tension  was  intolerable ;  he  sprang  to  his  feet.  "  I  can't 
bear  it — and  I  can't  tell  you !  "  he  burst  forth  furiously. 
"  You  can't  see  how  I  am  fettered.  I  am  more  fully 
bound  than  ever  to  God's  work  in  a  new  way;  I  have 
thrown  away  my  chance  to  win  recognition  in  the  world 
as  a  free  man  might ;  I  hoped  to  get  away  without — tell- 
ing you — what  a  fool  I  am — without  seeing  you  again ! 
I  am  not  permitted  to — if  my  consecration  means  any- 
thing, it  means  a  monk's  celibacy,  and  yet — I  have  been 
fool  enough  to — send  me  away,  please,  this  moment." 
He  was  collected  now.  "  I  hope  that  you  don't  see  what 
it  means  to  me.  I  am  going  before  I  commit  worse 
folly.  Don't — "  he  lifted  a  negative  hand — "  don't 
let  me  stay  any  longer." 

She  was  instantly  on  her  feet,  cool,  self-possessed, 
graceful. 

"  Oh,  no,  I  am  not  detaining  you — since  you  are — 
the  only  person  to  be  considered.  Thank  you  for  your 
protection  home."  Her  voice  was  clear  as  a  bell,  with 
an  indignant  ring  in  it.  He  stood  stupidly  before 
her  for  a  few  seconds  trying  to  take  in,  through  his  tur- 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  239 

bulent  senses,  something  in  her  tone  that  was  unex- 
pected, but  he  could  not  make  it  out.  In  the  cushioned 
seat  of  the  carriage  he  sank  back  wearily  and  wished 
that  the  spirited  horses  might  plunge  him  into  the 
swollen  stream.  In  the  middle  of  the  night,  as  he  sat 
in  burning  self -damnation  before  the  ashes,  a  lightning 
flash  of  comprehension  cleft  his  brain — and  he  under- 
stood. "  Since  you  are  the  only  person  to  be  consid- 
ered! " — was  what  he  saw  illuminated.  He  opened  his 
window ;  he  was  suffocating  in  the  cold  room.  Was  that 
it?  Across  the  gulf  of  his  boundless  stupidity  she  had 
thrown  her  favour  to  him — to  her  Sir  Knight.  And 
he — what  had  he  done  ?  Could  he  go  away  now  without 
seeing  her  again,  with  the  thrill  of  those  words  in  his 
pulses?  Had  he  so  much  manhood  left?  He  would 
prove  it.  He  slept  at  last,  fitfully,  with  the  red  of  the 
winter  dawn  upon  his  face,  then  he  was  up  for  a  new 
day,  a  white  stone  day  in  his  life.  But  he  must  still  be 
strong  enough  to  go  away ! 

After  breakfast  he  heard  Mrs.  Jernigan  at  the  tele- 
phone. "  Yes,  yes,  this  is  her. — Oh,  is  that  you, 
Florida? — Yes,  I  left  a  woman  stay  in'  with  her  last 
night ;  she  picked  up  and  eat  quite  a  supper. — Yes,  the 
Old  Doctor's  goin'  to  see  her — always  has. — He  thinks 
not — no  longer  than  spring — though  he  says  you  can't 
tell  in  those  long  cases.  It  may  be  years. — Yes,  every- 
thing '11  be  delivered  this  mornin'. — Why,  I  don't  know 
'bout  that,  I'm  sure.  I  'spose  they  ought  to  be  notified 
not  to  take  her;  if  you  think  there's  any  danger  of 
that,  I'll  go  up  right  away  and  stay.  They  won't  get 


240  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

her  if  I'm  there — don't  you  worry. — Yes,  she  is  mighty 
comfortable;  it's  a  great  change. — Yes,  yes,  there's 
enough  for  the  present. — Oh,  don't  mention  it.  Good- 
bye, Florida." 

She  came  out  to  Northmore.  "  Florida  is  worried 
for  fear  the  poorhouse  authorities  don't  understand  and 
will  take  Mary  Ellis  away  this  mornin'.  I  guess 
nobody  thought  to  notify  'em  last  night.  What  do 
you  think  we'd  better  do  about  it  ?  " 

"  I  will  attend  to  it  myself,"  he  said,  and  went  out 
at  once.  There  was  a  tang  of  frost  in  the  air  and  the 
mud  was  crusted  as  he  went  through  Whisky  Island 
up  to  the  spur.  The  miners'  houses  looked  more  unlike 
human  habitations  now  than  when  he  had  first  seen  them 
under  the  glow  of  autumn  sun  and  haze.  These  were 
the  people  whom  he  had  not  been  able  to  help — the  ones 
who  needed  help  most.  He  wondered,  as  he  saw  the  load 
of  coal  that  had  been  dumped  at  the  Ellis  shed,  why  the 
comforts  of  life  must  be  obtained  at  such  a  cost  to  the 
workers  themselves.  Did  not  the  production  of  coal 
pay  enough  to  provide  its  miners  with  something  better 
than  kennels  after  their  hard  work? 

He  found  a  competent  woman  brightening  the  sick 
room  with  housewifely  skill,  and  the  materials  which  had 
been  sent  to  her.  The  patient  watched  her  with  fever- 
bright  eyes,  her  thin  electric  hair  crowning  her  wasted 
face  in  a  white  wreath.  A  tray  of  untasted  breakfast 
stood  beside  the  bed.  He  went  with  a  friendly  greet- 
ing, and  talked  to  her  for  a  moment,  leading  the  way  to 
speak  of  Florida  and  persuade  her  to  accept  the  girl's 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

kindness.  Before  he  could  accomplish  this,  however,  he 
was  conscious  of  a  subtle  presence  at  his  side,  of  faintly 
fragrant  garments  that  brushed  his,  and  he  turned  to 
saJ  "  good-morning "  to  Florida  herself,  while  the 
colour  went  out  of  his  face. 

"  Good-morning,  Mr.  Northmore."  She  was  per- 
fectly self-possessed.  Then  he  had  misunderstood! 
His  heart  seemed  to  stop  beating  at  the  thought — yet  it 
was  better  so — far  better.  Why  should  he  care  so 
desperately  ? 

"  I  think  you  look  better  this  morning,  Mary,"  said 
the  girl  brightly.  "  I  was  so  afraid  that  you  would  be 
carried  off  in  spite  of  us,  that  I  drove  over  like  mad. 
Well,  we  can  all  hold  the  fort,  surely." 

The  woman  was  stronger  than  the  day  before.  She 
lifted  her  wild  face  from  the  pillow  and  looked  fiercely 
at  Florida.  "  I  hope  I  ain't  better,  and  I'm  goin'  to 
the  poorhouse  to-day — if  I  have  to  walk.  Why 
shouldn't  I?  If  I'm  charity,  I  can  get  my  rights  off 
the  town,  I  guess,  without  all  this  fuss." 

"  No,  no,  now,  Mary,  you  are  just  going  to  be  good 
and  let  us  do  what  we  like.  Don't  put  your  arms  out 
like  that,  it's  none  too  warm  here.  Have  you  had  your 
breakfast?" 

The  soft  voice  roused  the  woman  to  fury.  "  No,  nor 
I  won't  eat  it.  I  tole  you  yisterday,  Florida  Morgan* 
that  I  wouldn't  take  a  cent  of  your'n,  an'  I  won't.  I 
can't  get  up  to  put  you  out  of  the  house,  but  I  kin  keep 
from  eatin'  your  victuals — and  I  have !  " 

Northmore  drew  Florida  away  as  he  had  done  the  day 


M 

before.  "  You  had  better  not  stay.  She  excites  her- 
self needlessly ;  she  is  hardly  responsible,"  he  whispered. 

"  But  it  must  be  a  mistake.  She  has  taken  me  for 
someone  else.  She  can't  have  anything  against  me," 
urged  the  girl. 

"  Of  course  not,  but  it  troubles  her,  nevertheless. 
You  had  better  go !  " 

"  No,  indeed.  I  shall  straighten  it  out  and  put  her 
at  ease."  She  threw  off  his  detaining  hand  and  went 
to  the  bedside  again.  "  Mary,  you  ought  to  be  scolded 
for  not  knowing  me.  I  am  Florida  Morgan ;  you  must 
remember  me,  even  if  I  was  gone  a  long  time.  I  am 
sure  that  father  lost  sight  of  you,  too,  or  he  would  never 
have  let  you  see  hard  times.  Mr.  Ellis  was  one  of  the 
best  men  he  ever  had — in  the  old  days.  Now,  you  are 
going  to  be  good  to  me,  aren't  you?  " 

The  woman  searched  her  face  with  curious  eyes.  "  Is 
that  all  you  know?"  she  demanded.  Northmore, 
behind  the  girl,  was  imploring  silence  in  frantic  pan- 
tomime, but  she  would  not  heed  him. 

"  If  I  had  known,  don't  you  think  I  would  have  been 
here  long  ago,  Mary  ?  We  owe  you  too  much  for  your 
husband's  faithful  service." 

The  last  words  were  enough.  Vivid  colour  flew 
through  the  woman's  transparent  skin.  "  Owe  us ! 
Owe  us !  Yes,  you  pay  what  you  owe  us  and  I'll  give 
you  a  bit  of  charity  now  and  then.  You'll  need  a  meal 
sometimes.  If  you  don't  know  how  your  father  robbed 
us,  it's  time  you  did.  Where  did  he  get  his  riches? 
You  tell  me  that,  Florida  Morgan.  Ask  your  father 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  243 

why  my  man  was  laid  off  to  starve  when  he  hurt  his 
hand.     He  can  tell  you !  "  she  screamed. 

The  girls'  face  was  colourless.  She  waved  North- 
more  off  and  looked  at  the  speaker  with  apprehensive 
fear.  "  You  must  tell  me  what  you  mean,  Mary.  I 
don't  know  why  Ellis  stopped  working  for  father,  but 
I  know  that  it  must  have  been  through  a  mistake.  My 
father  is  a  good,  kind  man ;  he  never  wronged  anybody 
willingly." 

"Oh,  didn't  he,  though?  So  he's  lied  to  you  about 
it  all  these  years,  has  he?  You  ask  Tom  Morgan  who 
invented  his  first  patent.  Ask  him  how  he  come  to 
get  it." 

"  Tell  me,  Mary.  I'm  not  afraid  to  hear  of  any  deed 
of  my  father's.  He  is  a  Christian  gentleman,  as  every- 
body knows,"  and  she  lifted  her  head  proudly,  though 
her  voice  trembled. 

"  Listen  to  me,  Florida,  and  don't  let  the  preacher 
drag  you  off.  I  want  to  tell  you;  it's  worth  all  the 
years  I've  laid  here  to  be  the  one  to  tell  Tom  Morgan's 
daughter  that  he  sets  such  store  by.  Oh,  there's  a  turn 
in  the  lane  if  you  go  far  enough!  Listen,  Florida;  it 
was  Ellis  invented  that  first  machine  that  made  all  the 
money — my  man  that  died  hungry.  He  worked  on  it 
night  and  mornin'  for  fifteen  years.  He  put  his  heart 
and  soul  into  it.  When  did  Tom  Morgan  ever  invent 
anything?  He  never  had  a  new  idea  in  his  life.  And 
my  poor  man  worked  at  it  nights  after  his  day  in  the 
shop  till,  many  a  time,  I've  got  up  and  waked  him,  settin' 
with  the  tools  in  his  hands,  and  Sundays  he'd  hardly 


stop  to  eat,  while  Tom  Morgan  was  sayin'  his  prayers  in 
church.  Then  I  had  my  trouble  just  when  he  got  it  to 
runnin'  and  we'd  scraped  enough  together  for  the 
patent,  and  we  had  to  have  money  quick.  Ellis  went  to 
your  pa  to  borrow  some,  but  not  a  cent  would  he  lend ! 
Not  a  cent  after  fifteen  years  of  honest  work.  Then 
Ellis  showed  him  the  model  and  asked  for  a  loan  on  that. 
No,  not  a  cent,  and  he  knew  it  meant  life  and  death  to 
us.  But  he  wanted  to  buy  it  the  minute  he  laid  eyes 
on  it,  and  he  never  let  up.  We  either  had  to  sell  it  to 
him  or  die  and  let  him  steal  it.  And  he  got  it." 

"But  he  bought  it!  He  paid  for  it!"  cried  the 
girl  with  stiffening  lips. 

"  Paid  for  it !  He  took  it — and  gave  Ellis  two  hun- 
dred and  fifty  dollars  for  it.  Two  hundred  and  fifty 
dollars — and  made  millions  and  millions  out  of  it.  It 
wasn't  as  if  we'd  offered  to  sell  it.  He  made  us  give  it 
up.  Not  a  cent  of  Tom  Morgan's  stolen  money  '11  ever 
feed  me!  And  I'll  die  glad  and  happy  that  I  lived  to 
tell  it  to  you,  when  he's  kept  it  secret  all  these  years — 
and  you  called  him  a  Christian !  Not  that  you're  like 
him,  Florida,"  noting  for  the  first  the  anguish  in  the 
girl's  white  face,  "  you  was  always  a  good  little  thing, 
dividin'  your  candy  with  Bessie,  and  never  knowin'  the 
difference  between  rich  and  poor." 

Florida  could  not  speak.  Unnumbered  forgotten 
bits  of  proof  corroborated  the  truth  of  Mrs.  Ellis's 
story.  She  knelt  by  the  bed  and,  putting  her  arms 
about  the  wasted  form,  drew  the  white  head  to  her 
shoulder  with  infinite  gentleness.  Northmore  turned 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  245 

away.  At  last  she  said,  shaken  by  a  great  dry  sob, 
"  Oh,  Mary !  Oh,  Mary !  It  couldn't  be — quite  so 
bad!  Tell  me." 

The  woman  was  silent,  close  in  the  girl's  arms.  The 
soft  hand  stroked  her  wild  hair.  "  Bessie  was  nearly 
my  age — and  she  is  not  here.  For  her  sake  you  will 
let  me  stay  and — love  you.  Little  Bessie !  " 

"  Oh,  Bessie,  Bessie,  my  baby ! "  sobbed  the  woman, 
her  anger  gone,  while  tears  came  to  both  as  they  clung 
together.  Northmore,  with  his  back  to  the  two,  stared 
out  of  the  window.  After  a  while  Florida  called  him 
back.  She  was  taking  off  her  hat  and  jacket. 

"  If  you  have  pencil  and  paper  with  you,  please  make 
a  list  of  things  that  I  want  from  home.  I  am  going  to 
stay  here." 


CHAPTER    XVII 

IT  was  a  sunny  Sabbath  morning  in  the  last  of  February 
on  which  Northmore  entered  his  pulpit  for  the  last  time 
to  confront  such  a  congregation  as  had  never  been  able 
to  crowd  into  the  church  before.  Every  person  was 
there  who  had  had  the  least  part  in  his  short  and 
strenuous  pastorate.  Joe  Fury  occupied  a  prominent 
seat.  Billy  Canter  found  a  place  where  he  could  look 
at  Florida  Morgan's  back  hair,  having  hopelessly  lost 
his  heart  to  her  on  the  occasion  of  the  Thanksgiving 
dinner,  at  which  he  was  one  of  the  superfluous  waiters. 
Firestone's  reproachful  face  was  turned  to  him  from 
beside  Miss  Libby  Ann  Munson,  a  middle-aged  teacher, 
who  was  beginning  to  show  a  keen  interest  in  Abyssinian 
missions.  Miss  Libby  Ann  was  plain  and  commonplace, 
but  she  was  good  and  sincere  and  blessed  with  an  iron 
constitution. 

Northmore  had  chosen  for  the  morning  lesson  part 
of  the  twenty-fifth  chapter  of  Matthew  as  the  best 
exposition  of  his  action  that  could  be  given,  and  for  his 
text,  "  Not  every  one  that  saith  unto  me,  Lord,  Lord, 
shall  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  but  he  that  doeth 
the  will  of  my  father  which  is  in  heaven." 

"  The  great  cry  of  the  day  is  for  ministers,"  he 
began,  "  ministers  not  merely  to  talk  in  pulpits,  but  to 
do  Christianity  in  the  world  of  action.  It  is  now  de- 

Iff 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  247 

manded  that  we  apply  our  precepts  in  business,  that  we 
work  out  our  self-redemption  in  the  eyes  of  men — not 
their  ears.  It  is  required  that  we  share  the  world- 
burden  of  poverty  and  suffering  to  the  extent  of  our 
individual  ability." 

This  was  his  only  explanation  of  the  step  he 
had  taken.  In  the  intense  quiet  every  word  went 
home  to  the  listeners.  At  the  close  of  the  sermon 
he  moved  to  the  side  of  the  pulpit  and  in  one  subdued, 
impersonal  sentence  indicated  that  he  was  to  sever  a 
sacred  relation  most  dear  to  him,  and  asked  for  his 
successor  the  support  that  had  been  accorded  to  him- 
self. His  restrained  voice  revealed  no  emotion ;  he  was 
amazed  at  the  wave  of  sorrow  that  his  words  evoked 
in  the  congregation.  He  did  not  read  the  last  hymn 
quite  steadily,  wondering,  too,  for  the  thousandth  time, 
if  he  were  right  in  letting  go  a  personal  grip  upon 
people  which  could  be  used  to  such  good  for  them. 

It  took  him  a  long  time  after  the  benediction  was 
pronounced  to  make  his  way  down  the  aisle  to  the  door. 

The  man  in  whose  face  he  read  the  heartiest  endorse- 
ment was  Quiggins,  his  first  Mogadonia  acquaintance, 
who  pressed  forward  and  clung  to  his  hand,  reluctant  to 
part.  There  was  even  a  sprinkling  of  the  English- 
speaking  people  from  Whisky  Island,  who  had  first 
heard  him  preach  Ellis's  funeral  sermon.  Many  were 
waiting  at  the  door  when  he  came  out,  and  all  the  lead- 
ing members  invited  him  home  to  dinner. 

He  dressed  by  gaslight  the  next  morning  in  his  de- 
nuded room,  and  stole  downstairs  to  avoid  routing  the 


248  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

family  at  the  early  hour,  but  the  precaution  was  wasted. 
The  entire  Jernigan  contingent  waylaid  him  in  the  hall 
and  carried  him  to  the  dining-room,  where  the  last  of 
Mrs.  Jernigan's  good  breakfasts  smoked  for  him.  Her 
face  was  very  red,  and  she  remarked  as  she  bent  low 
over  the  coffeepot  that  "  a  body  -with  a  floral  com- 
plexion got  het  up  so  broilin'  steak  that  it  was  a  sight 
to  see  'em."  Her  voice  was  catchy  and  she  was  in  that 
feminine  need  of  consolation  which  expends  itself  in 
garrulity. 

"  I  tell  him  I'm  jest  disgusted  with  this  ole  moss- 
back  town  that's  so  married  to  its  idols  that  it  freezes 
out  every  smart  man  that  strikes  it.  I  was  afraid  that 
Mr.  Harrington  'd  be  the  next  to  go  an'  leave  Joe  Fury 
in  full  possession,  draggin'  our  boys  full  tilt  to  ruin, 
but  things  has  taken  a  sudden  turn  an'  it  looks  like  Joe 
Fury  was  gettin'  the  worst  of  it.  All  the  decent  trade's 
turned  to  Mr.  Harrington." 

"  I  don't  see  how  you  argue  that  Mr.  Northmore's 
ben  froze  out.  I  kin  prove  you  wrong  there "  be- 
gan the  oracle. 

"  You  don't  need  to,  pa.  I  only  mean  that  the  town 
itself  is  too  slow  fur  him.  I  hope  the  chillern  of 
this  town  won't  be  on  yore  head,  Mr.  Northmore,  fur 
no  livin'  man  kin  ever  take  yore  place  with  them,"  she 
said  earnestly. 

"  Don't  speak  of  that,  please,"  begged  the  young 
man,  his  eyes  full  of  pain.  "  I'm  going  to  try  to  keep 
track  of  some  of  them  after  I'm  gone.  It's  the  best  I 
can  do." 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  249 

"  Wall,  if  all  the  other  smart  folks  lights  out,  you  bet 
we  ain't  goin'  to  stay.  Do  you  reckon  any  other  place 
would  let  a  man  with  the  wisdom  of  Joseph  Jernigan 
live  in  it  for  forty  years  and  pay  no  more  'tention  to 
him  than  if  he  was  a  locust  post  taken  root?  I've  told 
him  he  wasn't  appreciated  here  many  and  many  a  time." 
Which  Mr.  Jernigan  was  more  than  ready  to  corro- 
borate, though  his  pancakes  were  cooling. 

The  station  lights  were  blinking  in  the  frosty  dawn 
as  Northmore  climbed  desolately  to  the  mid-air  platform 
upon  which  he  had  landed  so  confidently  only  a  few 
months  before.  He  was  surprised  to  find  a  group  of 
men  waiting  at  that  uncanny  hour  to  see  him  off.  He 
had  felt  it  a  high  compliment  that  Mr.  Jernigan  short- 
ened his  hours  of  arduous  rest  to  do  him  honour,  but 
here  at  the  train  were  Mr.  Harrington,  Mr.  Money- 
penny,  Billy  Canter,  and,  to  his  surprise,  Mr.  Firestone, 
and  twenty  or  more  others.  Billy  Canter  drew  him 
aside  confidentially. 

"  I  wanted  to  ask  your  advice  on  a  delicate  sub- 
ject. I — I've  been  thinking  a  great  deal  lately  about 
a — young  lady.  I  have,  indeed.  And  she's  such  a 
beautiful  young  lady,  and  so  good  and  so  friendly 
— why,  she  said,  '  I'll  never  forget  your  kindness, 
Mr.  Canter,  in  helping  us  out  with  our  Thanksgiv- 
ing dinner.'  And  she  shook  hands  with  me!  Now, 
what  do  you  think  of  that?  I'd  have  been  out  to  call 
on  her,  only  she's  been  away  nearly  all  winter,  but  last 
Sunday  after  church  I  stood  round  by  her  carriage  and 
she  said, '  How  do  you  do,  Mr.  Canter?  '  just  as  pleasant 


250  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

as  anything.  And  she's  known  me  all  her  life.  And, 
as  you  know,  Mr.  Northmore,  I'm  a  church  member,  and 
I  never  smoked  a  cigarette  in  my  life,  and  I'm  a  business 
man  of  some  means — nothing  to  compare  with  hers,  of 
course,  but  it's  a  bad  year  when  I  don't  come  out  seven 
or  eight  hundred  dollars  ahead.  Now,  wouldn't  you 
think  my  chances  pretty  good — if  there  ain't  anybody 
else?"  * 

Northmore  smiled.  "  That's  a  question  that  the 
wisest  of  us  can't  answer,  Mr.  Canter.  We  all  have  to 
leave  it  to  the  lady." 

Then  he  was  hurrying  along  the  platform  shaking 
hands  with  his  friends,  for  the  great  yellow  eye  of  the 
locomotive  was  gleaming  out  of  the  tunnel  and  making 
the  scene  as  unreal  as  a  tableau. 

"  Good-bye,  Mr.  Jernigan.  Good-bye,  Mr.  Money- 
penny;  yes,  I  will  write  occasionally," — then  he  was 
gliding  smoothly  among  them  on  the  lower  step  of  the 
car,  lifting  his  hat  to  them  as  the  train  rounded  the 
curve  and  went  out  of  sight.  Then  he  settled  himself  in 
the  coach,  hot  and  dusty  from  its  night  run  from  Balti- 
more, and  looked  down  upon  the  black  roofs  of  the  town 
where  this  paradoxical  chapter  of  successful  failure 
had  been  closed. 

The  train  plunged  into  the  eastern  tunnel  under  old 
Whiteface  and  he  leaned  back  in  the  noxious  darkness, 
wondering  if  he  were  done  forever  with  Mogadonia — 
and  with  its  one  beautiful,  heartbreaking  face,  that 
would  not  leave  his  vision.  With  what  effort  was  he 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  251 

now  to  build  out  the  broken  shaft  of  his  life  purpose  to 
make  it  worthy  tribute  to  her  who  must  henceforth  be 
the  unconscious  mainspring  of  his  motive?  Must  the 
next  shaft  also  be  modelled  with  bleeding  hands  only  to 
shatter  under  the  grinding  abrasion  of  his  passion  to 
know  and  live  Truth? 


CHAPTER    XVIII 

A  DAY  or  two  before  Northmore  left,  two  passengers 
landed  from  the  noon  accommodation,  who  had  come 
to  fill  his  dual  vacancy.  A  stout  man  with  reddish 
moustache  and  important  bearing  strode  down  from  the 
platform  and  took  the  hack  up  to  Mrs.  Garnett's  to 
report  as  the  new  manager  of  the  pottery,  while  a  slen- 
der, blond  young  fellow,  with  wavy  light  hair  and  the 
face  of  an  angel,  delivered  himself  to  Mr.  Moneypenny's 
charge  as  the  new  minister. 

Paul  Brand  had  known  his  predecessor  slightly  at  the 
Seminary,  but  they  were  so  unlike  that  they  had  never 
been  attracted  to  stronger  friendship.  Their  very  dif- 
ference of  type  was  now  to  Brand's  advantage,  as  it 
would  bring  him  less  into  comparison  with  Northmore, 
whose  popularity  was  too  great  to  be  inherited  by  a 
man  who  was  like  him.  Brand's  sweetness  and  spirit- 
uality, in  opposition  to  Northmore's  practical  ideals, 
found  the  soil  prepared  for  their  sowing,  and  the  new 
pastor  was  liked  at  first  sight. 

The  manager  took  charge  of  the  works  after  two 
nominal  conferences  with  Mrs.  Garnett,  in  which  he 
listened  with  curt  patience  to  her  complicated  and  minute 
details  of  policy.  It  was  apparent  before  the  close  of 
the  first  week  that  he  had  a  method  of  his  own,  a  rigor- 
ous one,  which  accomplished  results,  as  there  had  been  a 
rush  of  orders  and  the  season  was  a  busy  one. 

252 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  253 

With  the  advance  of  spring  an  activity  without 
precedent  took  possession  of  Mogadonia.  The  pretty 
island  encircled  by  the  river  at  the  foot  of  Old  White- 
face  began  to  undergo  a  mysterious  transformation, 
fascinating  to  the  young  people  whose  summers  had 
held  no  more  elaborate  junketings  than  the  annual 
picnics  to  the  Raven  Rocks.  Cattle  which  had  peace- 
fully grazed  there  for  time  unknown  were  deposed,  and 
building  material  was  dumped  from  an  unending  pro- 
cession of  waggons.  This  first  took  shape  in  a  hand- 
some bridge,  and  then  rose  in  airy  pavilions  and  booths 
among  the  trees,  while  the  undergrowth  was  replaced 
by  elaborate  landscape  gardening.  It  then  developed 
that  Joe  Fury  was  making  a  resort  park  of  the  place, 
and  its  progress  was  watched  with  delight  by  the  young 
and  alarm  by  their  parents. 

Tom  Morgan's  offer  to  all  the  churches  was  a  reality, 
and  those  which  had  accepted  were  working  heroically 
to  raise  their  quota  in  the  specified  time.  Their  sup- 
pers, fairs,  and  innumerable  original  devices  so  drained 
the  town  of  vest-pocket  change  that  Brand,  who  was 
now  considering  with  his  members  the  reopened  question 
of  acceptance,  wondered  if  anything  could  be  left  for 
them  to  do  in  their  own  behalf.  He  thought  it  a 
magnificent  offer,  and  failed  to  understand  how  any- 
one could  hesitate  about  it.  He  had  been  invited  to 
Mr.  Morgan's  to  talk  over  the  matter,  and  was  taken 
by  storm  by  the  latter's  zeal,  piety,  his  austere  morality, 
and  the  broad  spirit  which  led  him  to  be  generous  to 
other  denominations. 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

A  vapoury  rumour,  long  in  the  air,  condensed  about 
this  time  into  the  authoritative  announcement  of  Mor- 
gan's candidacy  for  congressional  honours. 

Paul  Brand,  learning  this  first  from  Mrs.  Garnett, 
whom  he  was  consulting  about  ways  and  means  of  rais- 
ing the  necessary  fund  to  secure  the  Morgan  dona- 
tion, was  enthusiastic  in  his  endorsement  of  the  can- 
didate. 

"  He's  just  the  sort  of  man  that  we  want  at  the  front. 
We've  been  represented  by  men  who  made  their  religion 
almost  a  secret.  Their  loose  lives  have  been  a  shame- 
ful example  to  the  people.  Now  we  want  a  powerful 
Christian  in  that  office — and  we're  going  to  do  our  best 
to  elect  him." 

"  Yes,"  and  Mrs.  Garnett  thoughtfully  smoothed  her 
black-bordered  handkerchief  over  her  knee.  "  I  like  your 
liberality  in  being  willing  to  endorse  a  man  of  another 
denomination.  It  repays  his  liberality  to  us  in  the 
same  way." 

"  Yes,  and  that  liberality  is  something  that  we  must 
make  sure  of.  How  are  we  going  to  raise  that  money, 
Mrs.  Garnett?  " 

"As  the  others  are  doing,  I  suppose,  after  we  have 
given  all  that  we  can  ourselves.  There's  a  personal 
matter  that  I've  wanted  to  consult  you  about  at  the 
first  opportunity.  May  I  speak  of  it  now?  " 

"  Certainly." 

"  You  know,  I  think,  that  my  husband  died  very 
suddenly  last  winter,  and  he  left  one  unfinished  thing. 
He  had  set  apart  ten  thousand  dollars  in  a  separate 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  255 

fund  to  build  something  for  his  men  at  the  pottery  and 
for  the  other  people  in  the  New  Town  over  there, 
Now,  I  feel  that  I  must  use  that  money  in  carrying 
out  his  wish.  He  had  quite  set  his  heart  on  it — 
but  the  Lord  interfered  with  his  intention.  Why,  I 
don't  know.  What  do  you  think  I  ought  to  do  with 
that  money,  Mr.  Brand?  " 

"  I  think  that  you  ought  to  carry  out  your  husband's 
intentions." 

"  But  I  can't  do  it.  I  don't  know  what  it  was. 
He  never  talked  to  anyone  about  it.  My  husband  and 
I  had  different  ideas  on  the  subject,  and  he  never  gave 
me  the  details." 

"  Then,  I  should  say,  you  will  have  to  do  the  next 
best  thing.  Devote  it  to  some  object  of  which  he  would 
approve." 

"  I  am  wondering  if  it  would  be  right  to  devote  it  to 
an  object  of  which  he  would  not  approve.  He  was  very 
good  to  his  men  in  every  way  but  one,  he  never  used 
his  great  influence  with  them  for  their  spiritual  welfare. 
Now,  since  I  am  their  employer,  I  want  to  supply  that 
deficiency  as  far  as  possible.  I  want  to  give  every  hour 
of  my  future  life  to  God's  work.  And  I  think  the  best 
use  of  that  money  will  be  in  a  chapel  building  right  at 
the  works.  The  men  would  surely  attend  it  then." 

"  But  we  are  building  three  other  churches  in  this 
town  at  the  same  time.  It  would  have  to  be  a  union 
chapel,  and  they  are  never  successful.  Don't  you  feel 
that  you  could  contribute  it  to  the  fund  we  must  raise? 
It  would  go  a  long  way  toward  that  ?  " 


256  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

"  No.  Though  I  should  love  to  add  it  to  our  fund,  I 
know  my  husband  would  not  have  done  that.  I  must 
use  it  in  a  special  way." 

"  I  see.     And  he  left  no  plan  ?  " 

"  None  whatever.  I  hoped  that  my  daughter  knew 
something  about  it,  but  she  is  as  ignorant  as  I  am. 
You  are  aware  that  he  did  not  even  leave  a  will?  "  There 
was  a  note  of  censure  in  his  voice. 

"  Indeed !  "  Then  as  an  idea  struck  him,  "  Why  not 
try  the  men  a  little  first?  If  they  respond,  the  chapel 
will  be  the  thing.  I've  known  a  business  men's  noon 
prayer  meeting  to  be  attended  with  success.  Why  not 
try  one  there?  " 

"  That's  the  very  suggestion  I've  been  looking  for — 
a  workingmen's  prayer  meeting!  That  will  lead  right 
up  to  the  chapel,  and  induce  them  to  go  to  church  for 
his  sake.  I  will  try  to  introduce  it  at  once — if  you  will 
conduct  it  a  few  times." 

"  Certainly." 

Before  he  left,  Mrs.  Garnett  assured  Brand  of  a 
liberal  subscription  to  her  own  church,  and  he  went 
away  in  great  enthusiasm,  springing  joyously  over  the 
pavement  in  the  warm  April  air  and  seeing  the  spires 
of  his  new  sanctuary  already  piercing  the  blue  of  the 
deep  sky. 

On  the  same  evening  a  deputation  of  workmen  called 
upon  Mrs.  Garnett  to  present  a  list  of  grievances.  She 
had  never  before  dealt  directly  with  the  men,  though  she 
was  anxious  to  assume  something  of  her  husband's  per- 
sonal relation  with  them,  and  she  was  now  full  of  mis- 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  257 

sionary  zeal,  inspired  by  her  wish  to  do  them  good.  She 
looked  upon  this  timely  visit  as  an  opening.  The  spokes- 
man stated  his  errand,  to  which  she  listened  without  in- 
terest, waiting  for  an  opportunity  to  introduce  her  own 
topic. 

"  It  is  impossible  for  me  to  do  anything  for  you  in 
that  way,  Mr.  Hicks.  You  know  I  have  put  the  man- 
agement entirely  into  the  hands  of  the  superintendent, 
and  I  can't  interfere.  You  will  have  to  make  com- 
plaints to  him.  I  hope  you  won't  make  them  without 
cause,  either.  You  can  never  expect  anyone  else  to  be 
as  easy  with  you  as  Mr.  Garnett  was,"  she  said  with  an 
apparent  sternness,  which  was  really  embarrassment  in 
the  new  situation. 

"  It's  not  so  much  a  complaint  as  that  we'd  like  things 
left  as  near  Mr.  Garnett's  way  as  they  can  be.  That's 
the  reason  we  came  to  you.  He  gave  us  some  little 
specialties  that  we're  used  to.  We  don't  mind  the  new 
man's  shaves  so  much  as  we  do  the  little  things." 

"What  are  they?" 

"  Well,  for  one  thing,  you  know  Mr.  Garnett  wanted 
us  all  to  go  home  and  get  a  warm  dinner,  and  he  added 
ten  minutes  to  the  noon  hour  to  give  the  farthest  men 
time.  The  whistle  always  blew  ten  minutes  early — and 
he  never  lost  that  time,  I  can  tell  you !  Then  if  we  got 
back  early,  there  was  always  the  wash  room  in  order 
and  the  reading  room  with  papers  and  magazines. 
Now,  Mr.  Brown  has  taken  off  the  extra  time  and 
stopped  the  reading  matter.  This  morning  there  was 
a  notice  posted  that  after  this  we  must  bring  our  own 


258  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

soap  and  towels.  We  don't  mind  that,  but  the  little 
privileges  do  make  a  difference." 

Mrs.  Garnett  was  troubled.  She  had  tqld  the  new 
manager  that  she  wanted  expenses  cut  as  low  as  possible, 
to  enable  her  to  give  liberally  to  the  church  fund — but 
she  had  not  wanted  this.  She  reflected  a  moment. 

"  I  can't  interfere  with  the  management,  Mr.  Hicks, 
but  I  surely  can  ask  a  favour.  I'll  tell  you  what  I  had 
already  planned  to  do  before  you  came.  I'm  thinking 
of  building  a  chapel  for  you  people  over  the  spur,  and 
as  a  preliminary  I  want  to  introduce  something  that  I 
hope  you  will  like — and  accept  for  Mr.  Garnett's  sake. 
We  have  all  had  such  a  warning  of  the  insecurity  of 
life  that  I  want  you  to  give  a  little  time  to  religious 
thought.  I  will  ask  Mr.  Brown  to  give  you  back  that 
ten  minutes  for  a  little  noon  prayer  meeting." 

"  A  prayer  meeting !  "  exclaimed  Hicks,  bewildered. 

"  Yes,  right  in  the  works,  to  help  you  through  the 
day.  My  minister  will  come  over  and  conduct  it  for 
you  at  first,  and  afterwards  you  can  appoint  one  of 
yourselves." 

"  Oh,  I  see.  Yes,  thank  you,  Mrs.  Garnett.  I'll  tell 
the  men  how  you  feel  about  it,  and  they  won't  mind 
going — and  we're  obliged  to  you.  We'd  do  it  for  his 
sake  any  day.  I'll  tell  the  men  how  you're  fixed  about 
Mr.  Brown,  and  they'll  be  reasonable.  Well,  we'll  be 
goin'  now.  Good-day,  Mis'  Garnett,  and  thank  you 
fur  listenin'  to  us." 

The  new  concession  was  not  easy  to  get  from  the 
manager,  who  naturally  was  not  impressed  with  its 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  259 

prospective  value  to  the  men.  "  Will  they  attend  the 
meeting?  "  he  asked. 

"  I've  i-aken  it  for  granted  that  they  will.  Still, 
I  wouldn't  want  to  make  it  compulsory." 

"  Well,  it's  an  innovation  that  I  never  heard  of. 
We'll  try  it  for  a  week  or  two  and  see.  If  you  want 
to  pay  the  men  for  piety,  I  suppose  they'll  come,  but 
if  they  don't,  I  can't  see  the  good  of  it." 

A  day  or  two  later  the  men  paused  in  some  embar- 
rassment when  they  saw  the  fair-haired  young  minister 
standing  in  the  hall,  Bible  in  hand,  as  they  went  out  at 
the  old  time,  but  most  of  them  stopped  and  listened 
respectfully.  The  next  day  the  Catholics  and  the  few 
Jewish  girls  went  on  out  the  door,  while  the  others  re- 
mained. The  following  day  all  but  a  few  church  mem- 
bers went,  and  by  the  end  of  the  week  but  a  handful 
of  men  gathered  in  a  corner.  A  notice  was  posted  that 
only  those  who  attended  the  meeting  would  be  allowed 
the  extra  time.  That  noon  but  five  men  attended,  and 
the  next  not  a  man  left  his  work  at  the  ten-minute 
whistle.  Brand  went  sadly  away  with  his  unopened 
Bible  in  his  hand. 

Within  a  week  a  second  deputation  called  on  Mrs. 
Garnett  with  complaints  of  increasing  despotism  in 
small  things.  She  begged  the  men  to  be  patient  for 
the  sake  of  their  old  employer,  and  they  promised  again 
to  try.  She  sent  for  Mr.  Brown,  and  the  interview  was 
unsatisfactory  on  both  sides.  He  told  her  that  the  men 
had  been  spoiled  by  the  most  unbusiness-like  manage- 
ment that  he  ever  heard  of,  and  that  it  was  absolutely 


260  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

necessary  for  a  new  discipline  to  be  maintained.  He 
had  not  the  claim  of  affection  that  Mr.  Garm  tt  had  had, 
and  it  was  a  very  different  matter.  He  also  intimated 
that  he  must  be  allowed  to  use  his  best  judgment,  that 
no  woman  could  understand  the  things  with  which  he 
had  to  contend,  and  that  his  efforts  to  make  the  larger 
profit  she  wished  had  led  to  the  dissatisfaction. 

She  consulted  Mr.  Brand  and  her  daughter  over  the 
growing  troubles,  but  they  were  powerless  to  advise. 
No  more  complaints  were  made  to  Mrs.  Garnett,  but 
the  increasing  discontent  was  well  known  in  town,  and 
on  a  rainy  evening  in  the  last  of  April  Brand  heard 
that  the  pottery  men  had  gone  out  on  a  strike,  the  first 
in  the  history  of  Mogadonia. 


THE  splendid  May  day  was  on  the  wane.  A  bar  of  sun- 
shine slanted  at  a  long  angle  through  the  floating  dust 
of  the  dirty  little  waiting  room  at  the  junction,  which 
appeared  more  grimy  by  contrast  with  the  vivid  green- 
ness outside.  Northmore  shifted  his  big  frame  wearily 
on  the  partitioned  seat  and  glanced  through  a  year-old 
magazine,  which,  like  the  whitewashed  stove,  appeared 
to  be  an  asset  of  the  railroad  company.  The  arrival 
of  a  train  cut  off  his  light,  and  knowing  that  it  would 
add  a  fresh  lot  of  passengers  to  those  who  now  stupidly 
wainscoted  the  wall,  he  stretched  himself  lazily  to  his 
feet  and  went  out  on  the  platform.  He  had  noticed  an 
inviting  road  across  the  track  which  wound  along  the 
river  through  green  fields  and  white  orchards,  and  he 
stood  waiting  for  the  train  to  move  out  of  his  way  that 
he  might  occupy  the  time  in  exploring  it  before  his 
accommodation  should  come. 

The  passengers  poured  down  from  the  coaches  and 
rushed  by  him  with  the  eagerness  of  junction  arrivals 
who  have  not  less  than  an  hour  to  wait.  He  stepped 
back  out  of  their  way  and  brought  up  face  to  face  with 
someone  descending  from  the  Pullman  car,  the  sight  of 
whom  struck  him  dumb  for  the  moment.  They  looked 
at  each  other  speechlessly,  then  the  girl  recovered  her 
presence  of  mind  and  offered  her  hand. 

£61 


262  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

"  I  ought  not  to  speak  to  you,"  she  smiled,  "  but  I 
am  too  angry  with  you  not  to  grasp  the  opportunity 
to  free  my  mind." 

"  Do."  He  took  her  bag  from  the  porter.  "  It  will 
be  a  delight  even  to  have  you  scold  me — if  you  will  only 
talk  to  me.  No,  don't  go  in  there;  you  can't  breathe 
if  you  do.  I  will  try  to  find  a  seat  out  here  in  the 
shade." 

There  was  nothing  on  the  shady  side,  however,  that 
would  answer  for  a  seat. 

"  The  road  across  there  looks  very  pleasant ;  I  was 
just  going  to  take  a  walk  on  it  when  I  met  you. 
Wouldn't  you  like  to  try  it?  We  have  nearly  an  hour 
before  our  train  comes." 

"  Very  much.  I've  been  riding  since  eight  o'clock 
this  morning." 

"  Come  on,  then."  He  helped  her  down  the  embank- 
ment in  a  matter-of-course  way,  and  they  turned  into 
the  firm,  smooth  turnpike  at  a  swinging  pace.  A  row 
of  willows  veiled  in  their  first  green  mist  skirted  the  river 
on  one  hand,  a  sweep  of  rich  farms  rolled  from  the 
other,  their  houses  embowered  in  fragrant  trees,  and 
their  slopes  mantled  in  exquisite  May  green.  Even  the 
tiny  young  weeds  that  made  a  velvet  border  at  the  road- 
side were  like  some  unsightly  animals,  beautiful  in 
youth. 

The  two  walked  mute  for  many  minutes,  the  man 
stirred  to  the  depths  of  his  strong  soul  by  the  lovely 
face  beside  him,  at  which  he  dared  not  look.  It  was  the 
girl  who  shattered  the  silence  that  grew  painful. 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  263 

"  Did  you  ever  see  anything  so  heavenly  as  this  day  ? 
They  come  along,  a  few  such  days  in  a  lifetime,  whose 
perfectness  can  never  be  forgotten.  It  is  as  if  the 
gates  of  Paradise  were  thrown  open  for  a  little,  while 
a  breeze  or  two  escapes."  She  was  turning  her  face 
to  the  caress  of  the  scarcely  moving  air. 

"  Yes,  I  am  susceptible  to  these  epoch-days  that  the 
gods  send  us  when  we  are  good — is  it  not?  The  one 
that  stands  out  most  clearly  of  all  is  the  day  last  Octo- 
ber— when  you  stopped  in  front  of  the  post  office. 
Do  you  recall  it?  " 

"  The  morning  when  the  children  weren't  there?  In- 
deed, I  shall  never  forget  it,  but  I  can't  remember  the 
weather  at  all — except  that  it  didn't  rain." 

He  made  no  answer.  He  was  annoyed  that  he  should 
have  chanced  upon  that  particular  event,  in  his  wild 
reach  for  something  to  say,  to  remind  her  of  his  part  in 
it.  A  clump  of  cowslips  gleamed  golden  in  the  edge 
of  a  roadside  pool;  he  stepped  aside  to  gather  them 
and  relieve  the  tension  of  silence;  they  trembled  in  his 
hand  as  he  offered  them  to  her.  She  fastened  them  on 
her  breast. 

"  Can  I  stand  that  colour?  "  she  asked  nervously. 

"  You  ?     Oh,  yes — but  the  flowers  cannot !  " 

"  That  was  very  pretty.  I  am  almost  forgiving  you ; 
why  don't  you  try  to  conciliate  me  when  you  see  how 
angry  I  am  ?  You  were  simply  beyond  pardon !  " 

"  That  is  the  reason  I  do  not  ask  it." 

They  had  resumed  their  respective  parts  in  the  word- 
less drama  of  the  last  dinner  at  Heathermuir  as  though 


264  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

there  had  not  been  a  break  of  weeks  between.  They 
walked  slowly  in  silence  that  was  eloquent  with  darts  of 
thought  which  flew  from  one  to  the  other  without  need 
of  words.  When  it  grew  too  apparent  he  said,  clumsily 
enough : 

"  You  have  occasion  to  be  angry  with  me.  I  can't 
ask  you  to  forgive  my  rudeness  in  going  away  without 
— even  calling — but  I  was — very  busy." 

"  What  a  sufficient  reason !  Too  busy  even  to  write 
aline?" 

"  Yes,  I  had  to  be  busy ;  I  had  to  rush  every  moment 
and  then  hurry  myself  off  before  I  was  ready  to  go — 
to  keep  from — seeing  you  again.  If  I  had  stayed  a 
day  longer,  I  must  have  gone  out  to  you ! " 

"  Ah !     I  thought  you  forgot !  " 

"  Forgot !  "  He  turned  upon  her  fiercely.  "  You 
surely  did  not  think  that  I  could  forget.  Would  that 
I  could !  What  right  have  I  to  remember  ?  " 

His  face  was  growing  white;  hers  drooped  over  the 
cowslips  she  was  tearing.  She  lifted  it  with  sudden 
self-possession. 

*'  But  you  were  very  rude,"  she  said  teasingly,  to 
cover  his  earnestness. 

"  I  had  to  be.  I  had  to  drive  myself  away — and  to 
make  you  dislike  me.  I  couldn't  trust  myself  to  see  you 
again — nor  to  write.  Why  didn't  you  get  genuinely 
angry  with  me — and  refuse  to  speak  to-day?  That 
would  have  been  some  sort  of  barrier.  I  don't  see  why 
I  have  to  meet  you  again,  now,  when — it  has  been  like 
death — to  try  to  tear  it  out — out  of  my  life — my  very 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

life!  It  is  the  sheerest  presumption — to  think  of. 
Aren't  you  sorry  for  me — a  little  bit  ?  " 

It  was  long  before  she  answered.  "  I  don't  see  how 
I  can  be — when  you  don't  tell  me — what  I  am  to  be 
sorry  for." 

"  You  must  know — you  must — that  I  love  you — 
worship  you — with  every  faculty  of  my  being.  I  have 
fought  it  from  the  moment  I  saw  you — looking  at  me 
from  the  runabout  that  morning.  I  knew  at  a  glance 
— that  you  were — not  any  kind  of  woman  that  I  had 
ever  seen  before.  But  it  was  no  use.  It  took  me  by 
storm — soul  and  body — it  is  for  life  and  death  with  me. 
Whatever  happens — wherever  you  go — I  shall  love  you 
with  every  atom  of  my  being — as  long  as  I  breathe. 
I  know  how  presumptuous  it  is!  It  even  crushes  my 
pride — my  manhood!  I  know  all  that  you  can  say — 
I  have  said  it  a  thousand  times." 

"  Have  you  ?     Indeed !  " 

He  was  looking  across  the  fields  at  his  right;  next 
the  road  a  plat  of  wheat  quivered  with  life;  a  springing 
meadow  smoothed  the  knoll  beyond ;  a  dogwood  flaunted 
its  white  flag  from  the  edge  of  the  woods;  a  bluebird 
dipped  joyously  on  its  homeward  flight;  suffering  was 
human  only.  The  moment  was  too  intense  for  words. 
After  a  silence  he  glanced  at  her,  seeing  that  she  walked 
with  face  averted,  but  its  hot  flame  spread  to  her 
throat. 

"  Don't  you  forgive  me?  "  he  was  forced  to  ask  at 
last. 

"  No." 


266  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

"  That  is  hard — but  you  can  add  nothing  to  my  self- 
reproach." 

"  Then  why  are  you  afraid  to  let  me  try  ?  " 

"  I  couldn't  bear  it  from  you." 

"  Coward !  And  I  thought  you  a  man !  "  She  blazed 
with  indignant  eyes  upon  him  now. 

"  I  don't  know  why.     I  had  courage  enough  to  tell 

you." 

"  But  not  enough  to  ask  me !  As  if  it  made  any — 
Mr.  Northmore,  if  a  man — a  real  man  loves  a  woman — 
a  real  man — nothing  but  the  sheerest  cowardice  would 
let  a  few  little  externalities  separate  them — or  it  might 
be  a  false  and  foolish  pride.  What  else  matters — if 
they  love  each  other?  There's  only  one  thing  in  the 
whole  world  worth  while.  If  Heaven  and  Earth  should 
be  swept  away — and  only  Love  remain — it  is  enough. 
And  Love  is  imperishable." 

The  man  smothered  a  groan.  The  girl's  voice  had 
grown  clear  and  insistent.  Her  words  cut  their  impress 
in  his  consciousness,  to  remain  forever,  and  to  be  read 
again  and  again  through  every  moment  of  the  day, 
with  every  note  of  her  voice  remembered.  She  did 
not  lift  her  eyes  to  him  when  his  glance  sought 
them — and  he  was  glad.  That  saved  him.  There  was 
a  rude  seat  under  a  sycamore  at  the  bend  of  the  river, 
to  which  he  drew  her.  His  face  was  utterly  white;  her 
hand  dropped  upon  her  knee,  and  his  hand  wavered  to- 
ward it,  but  he  resolutely  drew  it  back.  When  he  was 
sure  of  his  voice,  he  said  gravely: 

"  Then  it  is  worse  than  I  knew — a  double  misf  or- 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  267 

tune!  But  I  am  not  coward  enough  to  allow — a — life 
sacrifice — even — if " 

"  But  you  are !  For  your  wretched  pride  you  are 
willing  to  sacrifice — another  life!  You  are  selfish! 
You  are  cruel ! — oh,  you  are  not  what  I  believed  you !  " 

He  sprang  suddenly  to  his  feet  and  gave  her  an  assist- 
ing hand. 

"  We  must  go  back  now.  We  can't  stand  this 
— we  shall  say  something  that  both  will  regret — you 
don't  know  what  you  are  talking  about — as  I  do.  Some 
day  you  will  see  that  I  know  best.  Come." 

She  obeyed  the  command  of  his  tone,  and  they  walked 
back  through  the  lengthening  shadows,  so  still  that  the 
placid  gurgle  of  the  shallow  river  upon  its  stones  was 
the  only  accompaniment  to  their  tumultuous  thoughts, 
she  with  proud  head  erect,  he  with  a  battle-weary  droop 
of  shoulders  that  was  the  only  evidence  of  tense  self- 
mastery.  When  they  were  in  sight  of  the  station  he 
said  quietly: 

"  I  have  behaved  so  ill  this  afternoon  that  you  are 
angry  with  me — and  I  shall  not  ask  to  call  while  I  am 
in  Mogadonia.  It  is  better — that  we  should  not  be 
friends.  You  see  that,  don't  you?" 

"  No,  but  my  seeing  it  would  make  no  difference  to 
you — who  consult  no  one  but  yourself.  If  you  don't 
care  for  my  friendship — it  will  not  be  forced  upon  you. 
Are  you  going  back  to  live?  " 

"  For  a  time,  yes.  Mrs.  Garnett  has  sent  for  me  to 
try  to  break  the  strike.  The  new  manager  has 
resigned." 


268  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

"  And  you  don't  want  to  see  me?  You  are  ungallant ; 
you  won't  give  me  a  chance  to — to " 

"Refuse  me?     No." 

"  If  you  should — I  believe  I  would  do  that  very  thing. 
You  are  arrogant — hard-hearted.  Tell  me  this — if  a 
girl  was  poor  and  a — man  loved  her,  would  he  refuse  to 
— to  ask  her  to — to  marry  him  on  that  account?  " 

"  He  might.  Yes,  if  the  girl  had  been  rich — and 
beautiful,  and  a  queen  in  her  own  right — and  had  thrown 
away  her  possessions  because  of  him — he  would  be  a 
scoundrel  to  take  advantage  of  her  rash  impulse.  You 
know  that  remedy  would  be  worse  than  anything  else. 
Now,  we  are  going  to  forget.  Don't  you  want  to  tell 
me  what  has  happened  in  Mogadonia?  Have  you  met 
Mr.  Brand?" 

"  Yes,  and  he  is  a  darling — a  great  deal  more  agree- 
able than " 

"  I  am.  Yes,  he  always  was.  And  your  father  is  a 
candidate  for  the  congressional  nomination  ?  " 

"  Yes." 

"  I  have  heard  of  wonderful  improvements  that  are 
going  on  in  town." 

"  Yes,  there  are." 

They  lapsed  into  strained  silence  which  lasted  to  the 
station.  Northmore  pulled  out  a  baggage  truck  which 
they  used  for  a  seat  until  the  train  came,  when  he  found 
a  place  for  Florida,  and  went  back  into  the  thick 
atmosphere  of  the  smoker,  though  he  did  not  smoke. 
At  Mogadonia  he  went  forward  to  hand  her  into  the 
carriage  which  was  waiting  for  her.  She  gave  him  her 


"WITH  A  CURIOUS  EXPRESSION  THAT  WAS  NEITHER  APPEAL  NOR 
SCOBWING — BUT  SOMETHING  OF  BOTH." — Page  269. 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  269 

hand  in  parting,  with  a  curious  expression  in  her  eyes 
that  was  neither  an  appeal  nor  scorning,  but  something 
of  both.  He  lifted  his  hat  again  as  he  turned  away,  and 
she  watched  his  handsome  back  as  he  walked  slowly  down 
the  platform.  A  bridal  party  that  was  just  mounting 
the  station  stairs  to  take  the  next  train,  stopped  him  to 
shake  hands.  They  were  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Firestone, 
starting  for  Abyssinia.  The  bride  was  formerly  Miss 
Libby  Ann  Munson. 

The  hack  from  the  Grand  Hotel  stood  empty  at  the 
foot  of  the  street  and  Northmore  stepped  in  and  sank 
upon  a  seat  in  utter  exhaustion  from  the  conflict  of  the 
last  hour. 

When  he  roused  himself  to  a  knowledge  of  things  ex- 
ternal, a  day  or  two  later,  he  found  that  the  account  of 
the  wave  of  progressiveness  which  had  struck  Moga- 
donia  had  not  been  exaggerated.  It  had  engulfed  every 
part  of  the  town  except  that  which  needed  it  most — 
Whisky  Island.  Going  the  round  with  Brand  one 
morning  during  the  week,  Northmore  felt  himself  a 
stranger,  not  so  much  to  the  changing  physical  features 
of  the  place  as  to  the  metropolitan  spirit  which  was 
infecting  its  primitive  provincialism.  The  new  park 
struck  him  with  foreboding  as  he  foresaw  what  a  popu- 
lar and  also  what  a  demoralising  influence  it  would  be 
in  the  unscrupulous  hands  of  Joe  Fury. 

"  It  will  undo  in  a  season  all  that  you  can  do  in  a 
lifetime,  for  the  children  of  this  place,"  he  deplored  to 
Brand. 

"  It  is  not  to  be  in  Joe  Fury's  charge.     He  is  a  poli- 


270  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

tical  leader  here,  it  seems,  and  is  chosen  for  Mr.  Mor- 
gan's campaign  manager.  It  is  too  bad  that  Mr. 
Morgan  has  to  employ  a  man  of  such  insidious  char- 
acter, but  he  probably  has  an  influence  that  makes  him 
indispensable.  Of  course  Mr.  Morgan  will  control  the 
conduct  of  the  campaign  so  closely  that  Joe  Fury  will 
not  be  allowed  to  introduce  any  of  his  vicious  methods. 
I  know  that  we  church  people  are  all  going  to  work  for 
Morgan — and  it  will  be  a  great  thing  for  decency  and 
morality  when  we  elect  him." 

Northmore  did  not  answer. 

The  strike  at  the  Garnett  works  was  amicably  settled 
by  a  slight  concession  on  each  side,  and  the  kilns  were 
fired  again  within  a  few  days  after  Northmore's  return. 
Notwithstanding  Mrs.  Garnett's  plea,  and  the  warmth 
of  his  reception,  Northmore  refused  to  sign  for  more 
than  a  few  months  as  manager.  Mrs.  Garnett  made 
him  a  generous  offer  and  he  had  not  yet  chosen  the  way 
in  which  he  should  work  out  in  business  activity  the 
consecration  of  his  life  to  the  ministry,  but  there  was 
a  powerful  reason  why  he  could  not  do  it  in  Mogadonia. 

The  visit  to  Wildwood  Park,  and  the  obvious  threat 
of  its  attractiveness  to  all  that  was  good  in  the  town, 
recalled  with  force  his  feeling  of  responsibility  to  the 
mission  he  had  forsaken,  and  he  was  impelled  to  make  an 
active  opposition  to  the  place.  He  thought  of  Mr.  Gar- 
nett's plan  with  new  regret,  and  wondered  if  it  would  be 
possible  to  carry  out  the  scheme  without  its  originator. 
With  this  idea  he  took  out  the  roll  of  blue  prints  on  his 
return  to  the  office,  finding  them  where  they  had  been 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  271 

placed  by  Mr.  Garnett's  hand  in  almost  the  last  hour 
of  his  life.  Before  he  could  look  them  over,  Mrs.  Gar- 
nett  and  Silence  came  into  the  office  adjoining  for  a 
consultation  about  the  business.  When  the  matter  in 
hand  was  disposed  of,  Northmore  told  them  of  his  visit 
to  the  Park,  its  future  probabilities,  and  mentioned  with 
some  hesitation  the  scheme  which  had  so  engrossed  Mr. 
Garnett.  Both  looked  at  him  in  amazement. 

"Do  you  know  anything  about  his  idea?"  asked 
Silence  eagerly. 

"  I  know  all  about  it.  Yes,  indeed,  I  helped  to  draw 
the  plans,  and  we  went  over  them  carefully  the  last 
evening  that  he  was  here — just  before  he  went  home. 
He  intended  to  put  the  building  up  this  spring." 

"  Oh,  mother !  "  cried  the  girl. 

"  Where  are  the  plans  ?  "  asked  Mrs.  Garnett. 

"  Spread  out  on  the  table  in  Mr.  Garnett's  den,  right 
here.  I  was  looking  them  over." 

"  Then,"  said  Silence  with  quiet  decision,  "  there's 
but  one  thing  to  do.  We  will  carry  out  father's  dearest 
wish  for  his  men.  We  will  do  it  at  once  while  Mr. 
Northmore  is  here  to  help  us — and  try  to  offset  a  little 
of  the  harm  that  Joe  Fury  will  do  with  his  place.  Isn't 
that  so,  mother?  " 

"  Yes — probably  you  are  right.  If  the  plan  had 
never  been  found,  I  should  have  built  a  chapel  in  which 
the  men  might  worship — but  since  this  is  your  father's 
wish,  we  will  fulfil  it." 

Northmore  was  glad  of  the  new  obligation ;  it  helped 
to  fill  the  vacuum  in  his  heart,  and  he  entered  upon  it 


272  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

earnestly,  both  to  complete  the  measure  of  his  friend's 
life  purpose — and  also  to  make  the  measure  of  his  own 
less  incomplete.  After  due  investigation  and  consulta- 
tion with  Brand  and  a  few  friends  of  Mrs.  Garnett  and 
Silence,  it  was  decided  to  enlarge  the  design  by  making 
it  a  co-operative  plan  in  which  the  town  could  have  an 
ownership,  thus  establishing  a  formidable  rival  to  the 
island  park. 

At  Northmore's  suggestion  a  town  meeting  was  called 
in  the  stockroom  of  the  works,  at  which  the  plans  would 
be  exhibited  and  the  matter  laid  before  the  public. 


CHAPTER    XX 

PERHAPS  from  public  spirit,  perhaps  out  of  respect  to 
the  memory  of  Proctor  Garnett,  the  stockroom,  neatly 
cleared  and  seated,  was  crowded  to  the  wall  when  the 
evening  of  the  town  meeting  came.  Northmore  had 
asked  Mr.  Harrington  to  preside,  and  acted  as  secre- 
tary himself,  knowing  the  plans  more  fully  than  anyone 
else.  The  blue  prints  and  stock  books  lay  on  the  table. 
Both  young  men  had  grown  enthusiastic  as  the  idea 
expanded  and  gained  upon  them,  and  they  watched  with 
deep  satisfaction  as  the  people  flocked  in. 

"  Ah,  there's  Mr.  Moneypenny,"  said  Northmore  in 
a  low  tone.  "  He  is  coming  up  front ;  we  can  rely  upon 
him,  and  I  hope  that  it  will  be  a  help  to  his  boys." 

"  We  will  count  on  him  to  offset  the  opposition  of 
Mr.  Sims,  who  is  coming  up  front  on  the  other  side  to 
object  on  principle.  Daddy  Pocock,  also,  will  object 
to  any  innovation  on  the  good  old  way.  Brand  will  be 
with  us,  although  we  haven't  talked  with  him  lately." 

"  There's  Joe  Fury  with  his  smile,"  added  North- 
more.  "  He  will  agree  to  anything  that  will  attract  no- 
tice to  the  town,  and  he  will  not  compliment  us  by 
considering  us  a  rival.  The  Old  Doctor  has  just 
arrived — he  will  be  pretty  conservative,  I'm  afraid." 

"  He'll  have  a  good  reason  for  it  if  he  is.  How  the 
room  has  filled  in  the  last  few  minutes!  Better  call 
them  to  order  at  once.  " 

273 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

Harrington  stated  the  object  of  the  meeting,  the  need 
of  such  an  institution  as  was  proposed,  and  the  good 
sum  which  came  to  them  from  the  generous  hand  of  one 
who  was  gone.  The  first  person  to  rise  to  ask  a  ques- 
tion was  the  venerable  minister  of  Tom  Morgan's 
church. 

"  Before  the  first  step  is  taken,  please  state  exactly 
what  amusements  will  be  allowed  in  this  building,"  he 
said. 

"  That  will  be  decided  by  the  Board  of  Trustees 
elected  by  the  stockholders.  It  was  the  founder's  in- 
tention to  exclude  only  amusements  that  were  intrinsic- 
ally harmful  or  immoral." 

"  Would  billiard  and  card  playing  come  under  that 
definition  ?  "  he  persisted. 

"  It  was  not  Mr.  Garnett's  intention  to  exclude  them. 
The  Board  of  Managers  would  have  to  decide." 

"  Then  I  shall  be  obliged  to  condemn  the  project  and 
use  my  influence  against  it,"  said  the  minister  finally. 

He  was  hardly  in  his  seat  before  Brand  was  on  his 
feet,  his  fair  face  flushing  with  earnestness :  "  There  is 
no  more  insidious  temptation  than  that  which  comes  to 
young  people  in  the  guise  of  pleasure.  The  very  fact 
that  public  opinion  is  changing  with  regard  to  these 
things  compels  us  to  take  a  more  decided  stand  against 
them." 

Joe  Fury  was  up  before  anyone  else  could  rise,  his 
unchanging  smile  turned  upon  the  house,  not  the  chair- 
man. 

"  Stick  to  the  ministers,  every  time,  and  you  will 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  275 

be  on  the  right  side,  say  I.  We  don't  want  any  re- 
ligious dance  hall  to  lead  off  the  children  of  this  town. 
If  they  will  run  off  and  have  a  little  dance  of  their  own 
sometimes,  they  know  it's  wrong,  but  we  don't  want  to 
encourage  them  by  giving  the  opportunity.  Put  that 
money  into  our  new  churches  and  give  them  a  place  of 
worship  that  will  hold  everybody  in  this  town." 

He  talked  for  some  minutes,  but  before  he  had 
finished  a  fearless  form  in  a  green  shawl  rose  near  him 
and  a  rich  throaty  voice  rang  out  like  a  tenor  horn: 

"  Mr.  Chairman,  I  come  here  thinkin'  I  didn't  want 
any  gilt-edged  theatre  or  amusement  place  to  lead  my 
children  off,  but  the  minute  Joe  Fury  took  that  side,  I 
knowed  I  was  on  the  other.  Whatever  he  don't  want  is 
good  for  'em — it  will  keep  him  from  leadin'  some  of  'em 
to  ruin.  I  know  what  I'm  talkin'  about.  Now,  Mr. 
Garnett  knew  that  there  wasn't  a  place  in  this  town  out- 
side of  our  little  houses  where  our  young  folks  could 
gather  for  an  innocent  evenin's  fun.  They've  got  to 
roam  the  streets  winter  and  summer.  So  I  say  let's 
have  the  new  hall,  and  let's  have  the  best  lecturers,  and 
the  best  music  in  it,  and  whatever  games  is  good  for 
'em." 

The  Presbyterian  minister  was  the  next  to  speak. 

"  It  strikes  me  that  there  is  something  fundamentally 
wrong  when  amusement  is  made  such  a  vital  question  as 
Mr.  Harrington  considers  it  here  to-night.  In  former 
times,  children  were  reared  in  the  house  and  the  church. 
Are  we  not  going  to  build  a  dangerous  rival  to  these 
holy  influences  ?  Lead  us  not  into  temptation !  " 


276  'ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

Northmore  drew  a  long  breath  when  he  saw  the  slim 
form  of  Elijah  Sims  loom  up  from  the  front. 

"  Mr.  Chairman  and  Fellow  Citizens :  I  think  the 
arguments  for  the  new  hall  is  better  than  those  agin  it. 
It  will  be  a  big  improvement  to  the  town,  and  thar 
needn't  be  no  evil  in  it  ef  we  don't  put  it  thar.  I'm 
ready  to  take  stock  in  it  the  minute  the  books  is  open." 
He  clinched  this  with  a  series  of  nods. 

The  two  young  men  stared  incredulously  at  each 
other;  they  smiled  with  confidence  the  moment  Mr. 
Moneypenny  rose. 

"  Mr.  Chairman,"  he  said  explosively,  "  I  won't  sit  in 
silence  and  hear  plans  that  make  my  blood  boil.  I  can't 
believe  that  I  hear  our  former  minister  proposing  to 
build  a  place  in  which  card  playing  will  be  allowed, 
while  no  assurance  is  given  that  worse  things  will  be 
prohibited.  Am  I  to  suppose  that  even  in  respect  to 
our  townsman's  memory,  his  wife  and  daughter,  mem- 
bers of  my  church,  want  to  start  religious  gambling  and 
dancing  in  our  midst?  What  are  we  coming  to?  Is 
there  to  be  no  distinction  between  church  members  and 
sinners?  My  friends,  we  don't  want  this  enterprise  to 
go  one  step  further.  We  want  to  crush  it  right  now." 
His  voice  trembled  with  feeling. 

A  tall,  bent  form  with  a  little  hangman's  beard  got 
stiffly  to  its  feet,  and  the  young  men  looked  discour- 
aged at  the  prospect  of  more  opposition.  Daddy  Po- 
cock  began  in  his  slow  utterance: 

"  Mr.  Cheerman  and  Neighbours :  I've  listened  to  yore 
talk,  and  ginerally  speakin',  I've  agreed  with  both  sides. 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  «77! 

Thar's  reasons  fur  an'  reasons  agin,  an'  we've  got  to  see 
which  is  the  biggest.  I  'low  that  Sister  Susan,  over 
there,  is  the  nighest  right  of  any  of  us.  Now,  every  one 
of  you-all  knows  me,  and  knows  that  I'm  dead  sot  agin 
weackedness  and  worldliness,but  I  don't  see  how  this  here 
hall  is  goin'  to  interfere  with  church  goin'.  We've  got 
to  remember  that  church  doors  is  locked  all  but  five  hours 
a  week — and  what  you  goin'  to  do  fur  the  time  when 
you're  locked  out?  The  Lord  don't  lock  up  his  little 
dumb  critters  in  no  place  whar  they  can't  play.  I've 
set  these  spring  days  an'  watched  M'ria's  leetle  chick- 
ings  playin'  round  the  yard,  and  their  maw  don't  raise 
no  objection.  She  knows  it's  good  fur  their  laigs,  and 
she  jest  keeps  track  of  'em.  An'  the  lambs  is  skippin' 
an'  rollin'  up  on  the  hill  while  the  ole  folks  crops  grass, 
and  the  kittens  is  rollin'  an'  tumblin'  on  the  kitchen 
floor,  an'  I  know  them  chickings  an'  lambs  an'  kittens  is 
doin'  what  the  Lord  intended  'em  to — an'  they  ain't  sin- 
nin'  one  bit.  An'  more  than  that,  they  got  to  do  it — or 
they  don't  grow  right.  They've  got  to  have  that  play- 
time while  they're  growin',  an'  so  has  chillern.  I've 
studied  the  Book  all  my  life,  an'  never  yit  found  any-- 
thing  in  it  agin  young  folks  bein'  young.  Thar  ain't 
even  none  agin  dancin',  but  I  can't  go  so  fur  as  that — 
all  to  oncet.  But  I  'low  we  don't  need  to  go  no  higher'n 
the  Book  fur  our  religion." 

There  was  a  surprised  hush  as  the  old  man  ended.  It 
was  Mrs.  Jernigan  who  spoke  it: 

"  God  bless  you,  Daddy ;  you're  all  right,  you  dear 
old  soul ! "  she  cried  impulsively,  and  somebody  started 


278  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

a  round  of  applause  which  carried  a  great  deal  of 
conviction. 

Little  Benny  Myers,  the  homeopathic  doctor,  was 
highly  in  favour  of  the  hall.  He  said  that  he  was  the 
parent  of  four  boys  in  a  house  not  big  enough  for  one 
in  rainy  weather. 

The  Old  Doctor  had  been  called  away  early  in  the 
meeting.  Several  others  expressed  brief  opinions,  pro 
and  con,  and  when  the  sentiment  of  the  meeting  ap- 
peared to  have  had  utterance,  Northmore  stepped  to  the 
front  for  a  closing  word : 

"  Relaxation  is  one  of  the  important  elements  of 
modern  life.  The  high-keyed,  nervous  activity  of 
the  present  can  be  sustained  only  by  rests.  We  must 
re-create  our  worn  faculties  from  reserves  of  amuse- 
ment. We  must  teach  the  outreaching  minds  of  the 
young  to  seek  elevated  relaxation,  which  is  in  itself 
a  source  of  education.  Our  pleasure  is  such  an  impor- 
tant index  of  character  that  national  morals  are  known 
by  national  sports.  We  cannot  find  high  standards  in 
a  country  whose  delight  is  the  bull  fight. 

"  Our  large  cities  are  trying  to  fill  the  immense  im- 
portance of  this  demand  in  many  ways.  The  church 
recognises  that  almost  all  evil  tempts  the  young  in  the 
guise  of  pleasure,  and  that  natural  craving  cannot  be 
eradicated,  hence  in  crowded  districts  of  large  cities  the 
institutional  church  and  the  social  settlement  furnish  a 
people's  club  which  supplies  this  demand.  But  we  in  the 
small  town  have  nothing,  and  we  pay  the  penalty.  What 
is  it  robs  us  of  the  children  as  fast  as  they  are  fledged? 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  279 

The  dulness  of  the  place.  How  often  do  we  have  an 
entertainment  to  which  our  young  people  can  go?  Since 
last  September  there  has  been  one  concert,  and  an  in- 
formal lecture  in  one  of  the  churches.  In  certain  cities 
of  Europe  a  beautiful  building  is  maintained  by  taxa- 
tion for  the  entertainment  of  the  public  at  a  nominal 
cost,  and  has  proved  highly  successful  under  the  differ- 
ent conditions.  Now  it  is  in  our  power  to  have  the 
finest  institution  of  any  place  of  our  size  in  the  country ; 
a  combined  institutional  church,  social  settlement,  and 
town  club,  in  which  everyone  may  have  an  interest. 
The  question  is  in  your  hands." 

Northmore  was  always  convincing ;  there  was  a  flutter 
of  approval  as  he  sat  down.  The  meeting  was  ad- 
journed and  the  books  opened  for  subscriptions.  There 
were  surprises  in  this  practical  test  of  approval.  Those 
who  had  said  the  least  were  the  most  generous  in  the 
figures  that  followed  their  names.  Elijah  Sims  put 
down  his  name  for  two  shares  of  stock  at  ten  dollars  a 
share,  while  Squire  Pocock  painfully  indited  a  thousand 
dollars  after  his  autograph.  But  when  Northmore 
and  Harrington  counted  up  after  the  meeting  they 
found  that  a  large  deficiency  still  remained  in  the  re- 
quired amount. 

"  Mr.  Morgan  will  help  us,"  said  Harrington  con- 
fidently. 

"  We  will  not  ask  him,"  said  Northmore.  "  I  will 
add  part  of  it,  and  the  rest  can  be  gradually  collected 
from  the  people  as  the  work  is  known." 


CHAPTER    XXI 

THERE  was  no  complaint  of  dulness  in  Mogadonia  dur- 
ing the  months  of  that  summer,  with  a  round  of  rival 
church  entertainments  for  building  funds,  with  Wild- 
wood  Park  offering  undreamed-of  attractions  day  and 
evening,  with  the  new  memorial,  which  was  to  be  called 
Garnett  Hall,  under  construction,  and  with  the  storm- 
iest congressional  campaign  the  district  had  ever  known, 
shaking  it  to  its  centre. 

The  bitterness  of  this  campaign  was  a  surprise  to 
people  in  general,  who  supposed  that  Tom  Morgan  had 
simply  to  announce  that  he  wanted  anything,  to  obtain 
it;  but  Thompson  Jones,  representative  for  the  last 
three  terms,  had  in  that  time  served  a  creditable  novitiate 
and  had  just  reached  a  recognition  point  for  fearless- 
ness in  the  appointment  to  a  committee  for  investiga- 
tion of  certain  irregularities  in  the  relations  of  rail- 
roads and  shippers.  It  was  strongly  suspected  that 
Mr.  Morgan  was  personally  interested  in  this  matter, 
being  the  heaviest  shipper  of  manufactured  goods  in 
the  district,  but  whether  that  was  true  or  false,  he  con- 
sidered it  worth  while  to  make  the  fight  of  his  life  to 
defeat  Jones,  who  held  his  vantage  ground  with  cor- 
responding tenacity. 

As  the  climax  approached,  the  contest,  which  had 
been  ostentatiously  begun  on  high  ground,  narrowed 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  281 

down  to  a  bitter  personal  attack.  The  political  record 
of  Jones  was  unimpeachable,  and  his  business  career 
had  been  above  reproach,  but  he  had  a  vulnerable  point, 
an  ugly  scandal  of  his  youth,  which  his  antagonist  un- 
earthed and  used  to  the  fullest  effect  in  contrast  with 
his  own  fair  domestic  and  philanthropic  reputation. 
The  Civic  Morality  League,  inspecting  the  claims  of 
both  candidates  regardless  of  party,  condemned  Jones 
and  endorsed  Morgan  upon  this  ground,  which  became 
the  campaign  slogan.  While  the  elevated  methods  of 
Morgan's  party  were  being  vaunted,  his  workers,  under 
the  leadership  of  Joe  Fury,  were  publishing  revolting 
personalities  about  Jones,  and  Wildwood  Park  had  be- 
come the  rendezvous  of  political  crowds  from  far  and 
near.  That  the  debauchery  which  disgraced  the  grove 
could  be  part  of  the  argument  was  not  suspected  by  the 
unsophisticated  Mogadonians,  even  when  every  booth 
blazed  with  highly  coloured  lithographs  of  Morgan. 

Tom  Morgan  had  not  been  asked  to  assist  in  the 
building  of  Garnett  Hall,  and,  perhaps  for  this  reason, 
perhaps  for  the  reason  that  he  had  always  had  a  jealous 
dislike  for  Mr.  Garnett,  he  took  occasion  to  express  his 
disapproval  of  the  entire  proposition  as  one  which  would 
tend  to  lead  astray  the  young  people  of  the  town. 
Mogadonia  was  breathless  already,  but  this  unexpected 
damper  from  so  powerful  a  source  was  an  additional 
theme  for  discussion  among  the  overworked  guardians 
of  public  sensation.  Business  was  forgotten;  mer- 
chants wrangled  with  customers ;  delivery  boys  lingered 
at  the  kitchen  door  to  tell  the  latest  opinions  while 


282  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

cakes  burned  in  the  oven  and  bread  ran  over  and  kettles 
boiled  dry,  ere  public  sentiment  was  sure  of  itself. 

Northmore  was  busy  almost  day  and  night  with  his 
factory  superintendency  and  with  the  direction — and 
defence — of  Garnett  Hall  upon  his  hands,  into  both  of 
which  he  put  his  energy  with  conscientious  thorough- 
ness. It  was  a  strenuous  summer  to  him.  There  were 
days  when  he  worked  with  a  desperate  hopelessness, 
trying  to  forget  what  would  not  leave  his  consciousness 
for  a  moment;  there  were  other  days  when  his  blood 
leaped  with  happiness  at  the  memory  of  a  chance  meet- 
ing with  Florida,  when  she  had  bowed  and  smiled — never 
more — and  the  mere  sight  of  her  was  enough.  Reac~ 
tion  followed  these  periods,  in  which  he  wondered  if  he 
must  live  his  bankrupt  life  to  the  end  of  its  empty  years 
— and  he  was  young  and  very  strong! 

At  the  quarry  where  he  went  to  select  the  stone  to  be 
used  in  Garnett  Hall  Northmore  found  his  early  friend, 
Quiggins. 

"  I'm  glad  to  see  you  back  where  you  can  do  some 
good,"  said  the  workman,  wiping  his  dusty  hand  before 
grasping  the  one  extended  to  him.  "  Well,  ain't  there 
doin's  in  this  town  this  summer?  What  do  you  think  of 
the  Old  Man's  chances?  Think  he's  goin'  to  get 
there?" 

"  It  looks  very  much  that  way.  He's  certainly 
lengths  ahead  in  the  race  now." 

"So  they  say.  Well,  you  know  what  I  think  of 
him!  He's  at  the  old  tricks,  ladlin'  out  piety  and 
generosity  with  both  hands,  sweepin*  into  Congress  in 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  283 

a  golden  chariot — and  who  do  you  think  is  payin'  fur 
it?  " 

"  I  know  a  few  people  who  are  paying  for  it." 

"  There's  more  than  a  few.  We've  had  a  ten  per 
cent,  cut  to  help  pay  expenses,  and  our  old  engine's  at 
the  last  wheeze — through  this  rush,  too.  I  wish  men 
were  owned  like  mules ;  then  they'd  be  worth  takin'  care 
of.  But  they're  cheap — lots  cheaper  to  hire  new  ones 
than  to  buy  new  engines." 

"  I  don't  believe  that  Mr.  Morgan  knows  that  you 
are  in  danger  here,"  urged  Northmore,  who  was  just. 
"  He  would  not  risk  human  life." 

"  No,  but  he  won't  know  it.  He  just  makes  the  boss 
understand  that  this  quarry  has  got  to  pay  so  much — 
it's  nearly  pure  profit  anyway — and  if  it  don't,  there'll 
be  a  new  boss.  Not  one  of  us  men  could  get  to  Tom  to 
tell  him  anything — to  save  our  lives — not  to  save  our 
lives!  No,  he  takes  mighty  good  care  not  to  know  it." 

Northmore  smiled.  "  You  would  make  a  good  cam- 
paigner for  the  other  man,  Mr.  Quiggins." 

"  Oh,  Lord,  wouldn't  I  give  my  head  to  have  educa- 
tion enough  to  make  just  one  talk!  I  don't  know  why 
Jones  don't  air  up  a  few  of  the  sneakin'  tricks.  Now 
what  do  you  think  that  park  down  there  outside  the 
town  line  is?  It's  nothin'  but  a  campaign  saloon, 
nothin'  else  on  earth  but  that — and  Tom  Morgan's 
money's  runnin'  it.  But  he  don't  know  it — oh,  no! 
He's  sweet  and  innocent  as  an  Easter  lamb.  He  just 
invites  Joe  Fury  to  be  his  manager,  and  says,  *  I'll  leave 
the  whole  business  to  you  an'  furnish  the  dough,'  and 


284  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

that's  all  Joe  needs.  Morgan's  buildin'  two  churches 
this  summer.  Land!  Does  he  think  them  churches  '11 
ever  undo  the  carloads  of  free  drinks  it's  goin'  to  take 
to  git  him  to  Washington?  I  tell  you,  the  man  that 
sees  through  him,  that  sees  how  pious  he  is  for  the  good 
people  and  how  low  he  is  for  the  bums,  and  that  don't 
git  up  and  tell  it — is  an  almighty  coward." 

Northmore  dropped  his  eyes.  "  It  is  strange  that  no 
one  has  made  capital  of  that  for  the  other  side." 

"  It's  time  somebody  did.  But  if  Mogadonia  wants 
to  send  an  almighty  hypocrite  to  make  laws  for  the 
country,  they  have  the  vote  to  do  it !  " 

Northmore  drove  home  through  Whisky  Island,  the 
nearest  way,  and  met  the  long  procession  of  colliers 
going  to  the  night  shift.  There  had  been  threats  of  a 
strike  among  these  men,  and  he  wondered  how  they 
would  be  able  to  live  even  for  one  week  of  idleness,  so 
apparent  was  their  abject  poverty.  Yet  these  poor 
men,  living  with  their  families  under  conditions  so  un- 
sanitary as  to  be  a  menace  to  the  whole  town,  were 
earning  a  surplus  of  wealth  for  some  distant  owner  who 
troubled  himself  no  more  about  their  lives  than  those 
of  the  dogs  who  fought  in  the  street.  This  quarter 
had  always  lain  upon  his  conscience,  yet  it  was  the  only 
spot  in  Mogadonia  to  which  his  influence  had  not 
reached.  He  wondered  if  some  fairer  balance  of  world 
products  would  solve  the  vast  poverty  problem  in  a 
halcyon  future. 

As  the  campaign  grew  more  vigorous  the  walls  of 
Garnett  Hall  rose  in  tangible  beauty  and  were  soon 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  285 

under  roof.  An  untraceable  current  of  disfavour  per- 
sistently gained  headway;  many  who  had  tacitly  en- 
dorsed the  scheme  in  theory,  openly  condemned  its 
realisation.  It  was  too  fine  to  be  right,  or  to  be  prac- 
ticable ;  only  a  palace  of  sin  could  show  such  fair  pro- 
portions. Northmore  was  much  troubled  by  the 
rumours  that  reached  his  ears,  knowing  the  contagious 
nature  of  Mogadonia  criticism,  but  he  could  only  wait 
now  for  the  convincing  argument  of  fulfilment.  At  the 
same  time  the  campaign  was  such  a  disturbing  force 
that  it  had  become  unsafe  for  women  to  walk  alone  in 
the  evening  through  the  disorderly  streets.  Crowds  of 
political  enthusiasts  reeled  back  to  their  excursion  trains 
in  turbulent  lawlessness,  for  Mogadonia  was  the  cam- 
paign centre  of  the  district.  Northmore  could  guess  the 
source  of  this,  but  it  came  to  him  at  first  hand  one  even- 
ing when  he  stood  inside  the  new  building  after  making 
his  customary  round  of  inspection.  A  knot  of  excur- 
sionists stood  on  the  sidewalk  in  front  and  were  joined 
by  Joe  Fury. 

"  Hello,  boys,"  said  the  manager  genially,  and  North- 
more  knew  just  how  he  smiled.  "Hello!  Gettin'  in 
line  for  the  'lection  ?  " 

"  How's  it  goin',  Joe  ?  "  asked  two  or  three. 

"  Oh,  I've  got  all  my  money  on  Morgan.  He's  all 
right !  Jones  has  the  machine,  but  we're  goin'  to  smash 
that  all  to  kindlin's.  Tom  Morgan's  the  whole  thing, 
biggest  man  this  distric'  ever  seen.  Oh,  we're  goin'  to 
have  some  honest  politics  in  this  distric'  now,  an'  an 
honest  man  to  represent  us.  Think  what  Tom's  done 


286  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

fur  the  county — what  he's  done  fur  us — look  at  the 
work  he  gives  to  men  here,  and  the  payroll  he  keeps 
goin' !  Now  what  has  Jones  ever  done?  Not  a  blame 
thing!  What's  Jones  done  fur  us?  Not  a  damn 
thing!  He  ain't  even  got  us  a  new  post  office — in  six 
years !  Why,  Tom'll  git  that  river  opened  up  fur  boats, 
and  he'll  have  us  a  stunnin'  new  post  office  in  six 
months.  Jones  ain't  spendin'  a  cent  on  the  boys,  either. 
If  he  had  his  way,  he'd  go  in  with  the  preacher  that's 
buildin'  this  holy  theaytre,  and  put  the  whole  town  on 
weak  tea  fur  the  rest  of  our  lives." 

"  Ain't  Morgan  buildin'  two  churches  ?  "  asked  one. 

"  He's  helpin' — but  that  don't  hurt  us.  We  ain't  in 
the  church  business,  but  this  thing  '11  draw  off  my  cus- 
tom, it'll  put  me  out  of  business  when  it  gets  to  run- 
nin*.  That  preacher  '11  run  a  Dow  Law  campaign  him- 
self when  he  gets  round  to  it,  an'  the  town'll  go  dry. 
Then  where  '11  we  be?  " 

"  Damn  shame !  "  said  a  man  thickly.  "  Can't  they 
mind  their  own  biz,  an'  let  us  alone  ?  " 

"  Ever  know  reform  cranks  to  do  that  ?  No,  sir-ee ! 
They  don't  want  to  go  to  Heaven  alone ;  they've  got  to 
pull  the  rest  of  us  in  by  the  ears  a-kickin'.  Now,  Tom — 
well,  there  ain't  a  stingy  bone  in  Tom.  Come  over  and 
have  something  on  Tom,  boys,  have  a  dozen,  all  the 
same  to  Tom,  he  pays  the  freight.  You  may  have  to 
brace  up  on  water  next  year,  so  now's  your  chance." 

The  group  went  off  with  a  medley  of  choice  oaths. 

Northmore  was  not  the  only  person  who  resented  the 
double  play  for  votes  on  both  moral  and  immoral  plat- 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  287 

forms,  but  he  was  the  only  one  who  succeeded  in 
having  some  of  the  worst  law  breakers  arrested  and 
punished,  a  proceeding  that  was  bitterly  resented  by 
Fury.  Not  many  days  after  this  a  card  was  brought 
up  to  Northmore's  office  bearing  a  name  new  to  him. 
When  the  caller  was  shown  up  he  introduced  himself  as 
the  manager  of  Jones'  campaign. 

"  I've  come  to  ask  some  help  of  you,  Mr.  North- 
more.  We  understand  that  you've  been  trying  to  keep 
up  a  little  show  of  decency  in  this  town  during  the  fight, 
and  Mr.  Jones  hoped  that  you  might  be  willing  to  help 
him  to  the  extent  of  making  a  few  campaign  speeches," 
he  explained. 

"  I  never  made  a  speech  in  my  life,"  and  Northmore 
smiled  at  the  idea. 

"  We  know  that  you  could  do  it  all  right,  and  that 
you  know  the  facts.  Morgan  is  playing  a  despicable 
game.  He  is  posing  as  the  *  good  man  Tom,'  and  is 
debauching  the  district  at  the  same  time  by  the  vilest 
use  of  money  ever  made  here,  besides  conducting  a 
mud-slinging  canvass." 

"  Isn't  that  rather  an  extreme  statement  ?  "  protested 
Northmore. 

"  I  leave  you  to  judge  that  for  yourself.  I  am  not 
saying  anything  about  his  personal  life,  which  is  all 
right,  but  it  is  disgraceful  to  send  a  man  utterly  devoid 
of  business  conscience  to  Congress.  Don't  you  think 
so  ?  Now,  my  man  is  honest — true  to  the  core — though 
he  isn't — well,  he  is  a  man  of  the  world,  that  is  all. 
Morgan  is  a  punctilious  hypocrite;  he  won't  have  a 


288  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

bottle  of  wine  in  his  house,  but  he  is  a  human  vampire ; 
he  has  fattened  on  the  blood  of  other  men.  He  wants 
to  go  to  Congress  to  protect  his  own  corruption  with 
money  if  he  can.  He  thinks  he's  big  enough  for  that, 
Morgan  does.  Jones  has  been  there  long  enough  to 
begin  to  get  a  hearing,  and  we  want  to  return  him  to  do 
honest  work.  He  has  ten  times  the  brains  of  the  other 
man.  Now,  Mr.  Northmore,  we  want  you  to  make  about 
a  dozen  ringing  speeches  in  the  district.  You  may  set 
your  price  on  them,  for  Jones  makes  no  pledges." 

The  man  leaned  back,  crossed  his  legs,  and  fastened 
his  eyes  on  Northmore. 

"  I  couldn't  do  it  without  some  preparation.  I 
couldn't  do  it  at  all." 

"  Makes  no  difference.  You're  our  man  all  right 
enough.  You  know  the  issues,  and  we  can  put  you  onto 
enough  ugly,  sneaking  trickery  to  prove  to  you  that 
it  would  be  treachery  to  the  people  to  let  that  man  go 
to  Congress  without  lifting  your  voice  to  prevent  it," 
urged  the  man. 

"  I  don't  know  why  you  have  come  to  me.  I  can't 
take  an  active  part  against  Mr.  Morgan." 

"  You're  the  only  man  that  can  do  it — you  know  that 
— and  beat  him.  And  if  you  have  any  conscience,  you 
have  simply  got  to  do  it." 

Northmore  gnawed  his  lip  miserably. 

"  It  is — out — of — the — question.  I  will  not  do  it," 
he  decided. 

"  Very  well,  sir.  You  may  consider  yourself  a  party 
to  the  fraud  when  that  man  goes  to  Congress,"  and  his 
visitor  rose. 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  289 

Northmore  accompanied  him  to  the  door.  "  Give 
me  till  to-morrow.  You  have  no  idea  what  you  have 
asked.  I  will  give  you  a  final  answer  in  the  morning." 

Alone,  he  locked  the  door  and  took  counsel  with  him- 
self in  a  tramp  back  and  forth  across  the  floor,  but 
before  he  had  worked  out  his  line  of  duty  a  knock  in- 
terrupted him,  and  he  unwillingly  responded  to  admit 
— to  his  unspeakable  surprise — Tom  Morgan.  He 
gave  his  new  visitor  a  seat  with  dread  at  his  heart.  He 
was  not  long  in  suspense. 

"  I  can  spare  only  a  moment,  Mr.  Northmore,  so  I 
will  talk  business  at  once.  We  have  got  to  have  a  strong 
speaker  for  the  closing  meetings.  The  opposition  is 
crowding  us  hard  and  we  have  got  to  fight  to  the 
death.  I  don't  know  your  politics,  but  I  do  know  your 
principles,  and  I  know  you  would  work  for  decency  and 
good  character  in  the  head  of  the  ticket,  other  things 
being  equal.  My  life  is  an  open  book,  Mr.  Northmore. 
You  have  been  in  my  home — and  that  is  my  record. 
Now,  I  appeal  to  you  as  a  friend  to  do  the  talking  of 
your  life  for  me — and  I  know  that  you  can  elect  me." 

The  friendly  familiarity  of  his  manner  was  irresist- 
ible. Northmore  slowly  whitened  to  the  lips  as  he  sat 
dumb.  The  other  saw  his  hesitation,  but  attributed  it 
to  stunned  modesty. 

"  I  mean  just  what  I  say,  Mr.  Northmore.  I  have 
heard  you  talk  and  there  is  no  one  else  in  the  State  that 
I  know  of  who  would  have  your  power  in  this  district. 
I  never  heard  so  convincing  «,  speaker,  myself,  anywhere. 
That  is  why  I  want  you;  I  want  you  to  convince  these 
people  that  this  is  not  a  mere  fight  for  office;  it  is  a 


290  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

fight  for  religion,  and  temperance,  and  social  purity — 
that  ought  to  have  weight  with  neighbours  who  have 
known  me  all  my  life.  And  I  assure  you  that  I 
would  recognise  my  obligation  to  you  in  the  most  sub- 
stantial way.  You  are  a  man  who  would  fill  any  ap- 
pointment with  credit." 

Northmore  hesitated  so  long  that  Mr.  Morgan 
coughed  suggestively. 

"  I  don't  doubt  your  appreciation  of  what  I  might 
do — but "  his  thick  voice  failed. 

There  was  one  appeal  yet  to  add.  "  You  needn't 
fear  to  understake  it.  It  would  mean  a  good  deal  to  a 
young  man  adrift  as  you  are.  I  spoke  to  my  wife  and 
daughter  about  it,  and  they  were  delighted  with  the 
idea;  my  daughter  was  enthusiastic.  I  believe  that  she 
would  have  come  to  ask  you  herself  if  I  had  wanted 
her  to."  The  rich  man  looked  almost  pleadingly  into 
the  quivering  face  before  him,  surprised  at  its  tragic 
lines. 

"  You  know  what  I  have  done  for  the  place ;  I  have 
paid  more  taxes,  employed  more  men,  used  more  raw 
material,  than  any  other  man  in  the  county.  I  have 
given  a  little  to  charity  and  religion — which  I  do  not 
mention,  except  to  you.  And  you  will  put  me  under 
the  deepest  obligations,  for  it  would  be  a  humiliation 
that  I  can  hardly  think  of  to  be  beaten  by  such  a  man 
as  Thompson  Jones." 

"  I  know  that — and  I  know  that  it  would  also  be  the 
opportunity  of  my  life — in  a  way  that  will  never  come 
again — but " 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  291 

"  To  a  man  of  jour  breadth,  party  affiliations  have 
little  weight " 

Northmore  appeared  to  have  lost  his  breath.  "  Wait 
a  minute,"  he  gasped,  dropping  his  head  upon  his  hand. 
When  he  lifted  his  face  it  was  perfectly  white,  but  he 
spoke  with  clear  decision :  "  I'm  extremely  sorry,  but 
I  can't  do  it,  Mr.  Morgan." 

"  You  can't  do  it !  Of  course  you  can !  What  is 
going  to  prevent  you  ?  " 

"  The  fact  that  I  am  going  to — to  take  the  stump 
for — JONES  !  I  highly  appreciate  the  honour  you  have 
done  me,  and  regret  that  it  is  impossible — regret  it 
more  than  you  can  realise." 

Mr.  Morgan  got  to  his  feet,  speechless ;  he  turned  to 
the  door  before  he  found  utterance.  "  You  don't  seem 
to  realise  the  situation." 

"  I  think  that  I  do." 

"  When  I  make  a  friendship  it  is  for  life — but  not 
many  men  have  crossed  my  path  a  second  time.  You 
don't  know  me  as  well  as  you  think  you  do,"  he  said  in 
slow,  white  anger. 

Northmore  bowed  him  out  without  reply.  Then  he 
locked  the  door. 

The  autumn  afternoon  floated  away,  the  evening 
whistle  blew,  and  the  operatives  trooped  out  and  went 
home;  the  luxurious  day  hung  golden  for  an  hour  or 
two  on  the  rim  of  the  world,  before  sinking  into  the 
flaming  west.  The  pure  chill  of  night  rose  from  the 
earth;  points  of  light  spangled  the  sky;  a  yellow  moon 
hung  a  horn  above  Moriah,  while  the  evening  street  life 


292  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

rippled  in  through  the  open  window.  The  eight-fifteen 
train  came  and  went,  the  hack  rumbled  by ;  the  stream 
of  idlers  flowed  back  from  the  station,  and  the  deep 
quiet  of  night  settled  over  the  valley.  There  was 
hardly  a  light  in  the  town  when  Northmore's  tall  figure 
came  wearily,  but  with  resolution,  out  of  the  closed 
building,  as  the  winner  of  a  great  victory  might  do  who 
has  been  maimed  for  life. 


CHAPTER    XXII 

THERE  had  been  such  a  succession  of  important  events 
in  Mogadonia  during  all  the  summer  weeks  that  sensa- 
tion had  fairly  palled  upon  its  citizens,  and  Northmore 
was  not  surprised  to  see  Brand  in  his  office  when  he 
reached  it  one  morning,  with  a  new  trouble  in  his  face. 

"  You  must  come  right  down  to  Whisky  Island  with 
me,"  he  began,  after  a  hurried  "  Good-morning."  "  It 
is  reported  that  a  scourge  of  diphtheria  has  broken  out 
there,  and  has  been  running  for  a  week  or  more.  The 
mayor  is  out  of  town,  the  hamlet  is  not  in  this  corpora- 
tion, the  Old  Doctor  has  gone  off  on  a  long  ride  into  the 
hills,  which  will  keep  him  all  day — and  somebody  must 
do  something.  Will  you  come?  Those  people  haven't 
the  first  sanitary  regulation,  they  say." 

"  No,  I  know  they  haven't.  Yes,  we  must  do  some- 
thing at  once.  We  will  try  to  hunt  up  an  authority 
and  establish  quarantine." 

Half  way  down  the  incline  Brand  stopped  as  though 
he  had  been  struck.  A  man  was  putting  up  a  moist 
poster  on  a  board  fence,  which  announced  in  letters  six 
inches  long  that  a  Thompson  Jones  campaign  meeting 
would  be  held  in  Mogadonia  on  the  following  Saturday 
night,  whose  speaker  would  be — "  NORTHMORE  !  " 

"  What  does  that  mean  ?  Is  there  another  man  of 
your  name  in  the  county  ?  "  gasped  the  minister. 

293 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

"  No." 

"  But  it  can't  be — you  don't  mean ?  " 

Northmore  winced  before  his  friend's  accusing  eyes. 
"  Yes,  I  have  promised  to  do  some  speaking  for  Jones." 

"  Against  your  own  candidate  ?  Against  Morgan ! 
Impossible.  I  can't  understand  you,  Northmore,  but  I 
suppose  when  a  man  breaks  loose  from  his — principles 
— he  is  driven  by  any  wind." 

"  No,  Brand,"  Northmore  was  grave,  for  he  knew 
that  a  multitude  of  voices  spoke  through  his  friend's 
lips,  "  it  isn't  so  bad  as  that.  It  isn't  treachery.  It  is 
the  only  thing  I  could  conscientiously  do — after  taking 
the  other  stand." 

But  Brand  did  not  see  how  that  could  be,  and 
Northmore's  tone  was  too  final  to  admit  of  explanation, 
so  they  walked  in  silence  the  rest  of  the  way. 

The  sanitary  condition  of  Whisky  Island  could  hardly 
have  been  worse.  There  was  sickness  of  a  malignant 
type  in  every  other  house,  yet  the  inmates  were  mingling 
in  voluble  groups  in  the  cinder-strewn  streets,  and 
visiting  the  stricken  from  house  to  house.  The  young 
men  sought  an  English-speaking  resident  for  some  mo- 
ments before  one  could  be  found.  Northmore  thought 
of  the  gracious  Irish  woman  whom  he  and  Florida  had 
found  a  year  before,  and  led  the  way  to  her  alley.  A 
wail  of  sorrow  told  him  that  the  Destroyer  was  before 
him.  Her  small  house  was  crowded  with  sympathetic 
neighbours,  while  children  swarmed  curiously  under  the 
windows.  The  two  friends  looked  at  each  other  and 
questioned  what  could  be  done  with  such  wholesale  dis- 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  295 

regard  of  human  safety  as  this.  While  they  discussed 
means  of  attack,  a  familiar  runabout  drove  down  the 
hill  which  made  Northmore  quail  and  turn  his  face 
away.  He  knew  that  by  this  time  the  road  must  blaze 
with  posters.  Then,  with  a  quick  second  thought,  he 
sprang  toward  the  horse,  catching  the  bridle  and  back- 
ing it  away. 

"  You  must  go  right  back !  You  can't  come  a  step 
nearer."  He  freed  a  hand  to  lift  his  hat. 

"It  is  true,  then?     There  is  sickness  here?  " 

"  Yes,  the  situation  is  terrible." 

"  What  are  you  going  to  do  ?  " 

"  Notify  the  owners,  Miss  Morgan.  We  will  do  what 
is  necessary.  You  must  go  home." 

"  Who  does  own  this  ?  "  she  asked  suddenly. 

"  The  Indian  Valley  Coal  Company." 

"Do  any  of  the  stockholders  live  here?" 

"  The  president  does." 

"  Will  you  tell  me  who  he  is  ?  "  She  watched  him 
with  fear  in  her  eyes.  The  colour  died  out  of  North- 
more' s  grave  face,  and  he  did  not  answer.  She  under- 
stood. She  leaned  forward  and  spoke  low  to  him.  "  Is 
that  why — you  are — doing — the  other?  "  she  wrung 
out  from  quivering  lips. 

"  Partly.  That  and  kindred  reasons.  I  do  not  do 
it  voluntarily — you  believe  that,  don't  you  ?  I  •  was 
cornered  so  that  there  was  no  honourable  way  out — but 
this  suicidal  one." 

She  reflected  with  anguish  in  her  eyes.  "  I  believe 
that  you  are  honest  about  it — and  that  you  do  it  partly 


296  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

because  it  is  hard  for  you — suicidal,  as  you  say — but, 
oh,  you  might  have  spared  him!  I  shall  hate  you — 
you  know  that — don't  you?  He  is  only  like  the  rest 
of  the  world,  and  he  is  such  a  dear,  kind  father !  Why 
must  you  judge  him  by  a  standard  that  he  never 
learned?  " 

**  Because  his  great  power  to  do  injury  must  com- 
pel him  to  learn  it  now." 

"  But  he  will  not  abuse  his  power — as  you  think. 
In  all  past  time,  whatever  the  law  permitted  was  right, 
and  if  a  man  lived  morally  and  gave  liberally — so  much 
was  urged  upon  his  liberality — he  was  forgiven  for  hav- 
ing overstepped  the  letter  of  Christianity.  We  are 
making  a  new  law — in  our  generation — but  he  doesn't 
think  of  that.  I  can  see  where  you  both  stand,  you  and 
my  father — but  I  must  not  judge  him.  You  are  his 
enemy  forthwith — and  mine — forever!  Now,  go  and 
do  what  you  can  for  these  wretched  people,  and  make 
him  do  what  he  should — but  in  the  campaign — oh,  at 
least  be  just  to  him !  " 

"  Do  you  need  to  ask  that  ?  "  he  groaned  bitterly  as 
she  turned,  without  further  adieu,  and  drove  away. 

"  What  are  the  first  steps  to  take  ?  "  asked  Brand  as 
they  came  to  another  reeking  alley  a  little  farther  on. 

"  To  notify  Mr.  Morgan — or  arrest  him,  if  neces- 
sary, under  a  State  law." 

"  Not — you  don't  mean  our — not  Tom  Morgan?  " 

"  Yes." 

"  Impossible !  That  good  man !  Is  that  why  you 
refused  to  accept ?  " 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  297 

"  It  is  the  beginning  of  the  reason  of  everything  I 
have  done." 

"  I  heard  him  at  Bellevue  last  night,"  reported  Mr. 
Moneypenny,  "  and  it  was  the  biggest  speech  I  ever 
heard  on  a  political  platform.  I  wish  it  was  North- 
more  himself  who  was  our  candidate.  He's  a  big  man — 
if  he  is  a  young  one — and  nothing  on  earth  can  keep  him 
down.  He  talks  like  he  preached,  no  bluster,  no  noise, 
just  clean,  strong  fact  that  drives  you  right  along  with 
him.  He  goes  right  down  into  the  muddle  of  a  thing 
and  makes  it  clear ;  he  doesn't  tell  j  okes  nor  ridicule  the 
other  side;  he  didn't  abuse  Tom  Morgan  nor  show  up 
his  meanness ;  he  didn't  seem  to  have  time,  there  was 
so  much  to  say  about  the  issues.  He  didn't  even  say 
*  Thompson  Jones'  till  the  last  thing,  when  he  was 
winding  up ;  then  he  says,  '  These  are  the  facts  and 
these  are  the  principles  which  this  candidate  stands  for, 
and  Thompson  Jones'  record  shows  that  he  will  be  true 
to  them.'  And  the  people  never  got  through  applaud- 
ing. He  sweeps  along  so  strong  he  don't  leave  a  thing 
for  the  other  side  to  say,  even  if  the  other  side  had  a 
man  that  could  say  it." 

Mr.  Moneypenny  was  superintending  the  decoration 
of  the  speaker's  stand  for  the  Saturday  night  meeting 
at  Mogadonia,  and  uttered  this  report  from  the  top  of 
a  stepladder.  "  I  don't  see  why  Morgan  let  them  get 
him,"  he  added,  draping  folds  of  tri-coloured  bunting 
across  the  planks. 

"  Morgan  couldn't  have  got  him,  party  or  no  party," 


298  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

answered  Mr.  Harrington,  holding  up  a  handful  of 
nails. 

"  Morgan  generally  gets  what  he  wants — that  he's 
willing  to  pay  for." 

"  Except  Northmore.  Morgan  hasn't  money  enough 
to  pay  for  him.  I  tell  you  that  one  fearless  man  has 
roused  this  town  to  a  new  morality — as  I  have  personal 
reason  to  know.  People  are  beginning  to  have  a  respect 
for  honest  principles  that  was  never  dreamed  of  before." 

"  Northmore's  going  to  ruin  his  own  prospects  in 
doing  it — I  guess  he's  ruined  them  already.  If  he  beats 
Morgan,  it  will  be  the  blow  of  Morgan's  life,  and  he  will 
simply  sweep  Northmore  off  the  face  of  the  earth." 
Mr.  Moneypenny  was  climbing  up  the  slender  scaffold- 
ing with  a  roll  of  bunting  in  his  hand,  and  he  illustrated 
with  a  wave  of  the  bunting  how  it  would  be  done. 

"  No  one  knows  that  better  than  Northmore  himself. 
It  will  be  his  victory,  too,  for  we  all  know  that  he  has 
wiped  out  party  lines  in  this  district.  Nobody  knows 
anything  but  the  candidates  this  fall.  I  only  wish  he 
was  one  himself." 

"  Just  wait  a  little  for  that,"  called  down  the  man 
from  above. 

"  No,  it  will  never  be,"  declared  the  other. 

"  How  did  it  ever  happen  that  the  date  of  the  Mor- 
gan Barbecue  was  changed  to  the  dedication  day  of  our 
hall — when  we  had  tried  so  hard  to  avoid  that  very 
thing  ?  "  wailed  Silence  to  her  lover  as  they  stood  on  the 
steps  of  her  home  and  looked  down  at  the  sinuous  trail 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  299 

of  yellow  dust  that  hung  over  every  road  into  the  town, 
hiding  the  continuous  procession  of  vehicles  of  every 
sort  which  stretched  back  into  the  hills.  There  had  been 
a  long  drought,  and  the  late  October  day  dawned 
superbly,  blazing  with  colour,  but  underlaid  with  dust. 

"  It  never  happened  at  all,  dearest.  It  was  the  one 
way  in  which  Mr.  Morgan  could  revenge  himself  upon 
Northmore." 

"  But  Florida  has  been  so  interested  and  given  so 
much,  I  should  think  she  wouldn't  have  let  him  change 
to  our  day.  She  promised  to  slip  in  this  evening." 

"  There  are  evidently  things  that  Florida  cannot  do, 
or  she  certainly  would  not  have  consented  to  this.  But 
we  shall  make  the  best  of  it." 

By  ten  o'clock  the  narrow  streets  were  blocked  with 
traffic,  though  the  first  excursion  train  was  only  then 
arriving  at  the  station.  With  it  came  the  toy  balloon 
man,  the  pink-popcorn-and-candy  man,  the  taffy  cart, 
the  tintype  van,  the  mockingbird-whistle  man,  and  the 
campaign  button  fakir.  The  great  barbecue  was  pre- 
paring in  a  trench  in  Wildwood  Park,  which  had  been 
wholly  given  up  to  campaign  purposes  for  the  last  few 
weeks,  and  the  air  was  freighted  for  miles  around  with 
odours  of  roasting  oxen,  sheep,  pigs,  and  chickens, 
which  were  to  feed  the  multitudes  in  true  old-time  style. 
Excursion  trains  continued  to  come  in  and  discharge 
their  noisy  loads  at  short  intervals,  until  the  middle  of 
the  afternoon.  Each  one  brought  its  Morgan  Club, 
accompanied  by  a  brass  band,  which  marched  to  the 
Grand  International  Hotel,  where  they  were  reviewed  by 


300  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

Mr.  Morgan  from  the  porch.  The  marshals  of  the  day 
in  tall  white  hats  and  scarlet  sashes  galloped  bravely 
back  and  forth  through  the  crowd  without  interfering 
with  its  disorder  in  the  least.  When  most  of  the  trains 
were  in,  a  procession  was  formed  for  the  march  to  the 
park,  Mr.  Morgan  leading  in  a  gaily  decorated  carriage 
followed  by  the  clubs,  their  bands  occurring  at  short 
intervals  in  loud  competition,  these  followed  in  turn  by 
a  long  line  of  ununiformed  men  and  boys.  It  became 
apparent  early  in  the  day  that  the  wells  of  Mogadonia 
were  flowing  stronger  liquids  than  buttermilk  and  beer. 
Under  the  belligerent  inspiration  of  campaign  con- 
viviality, political  antagonisms  sharpened  claws  and 
showed  teeth  in  turbulent  wrangle.  When  the  great 
crowds,  the  largest  in  the  county's  history,  had  been 
abundantly  feasted,  speeches  in  the  grove  began,  but  so 
small  a  proportion  of  the  people  could  get  near  enough 
to  hear — and  so  few  wanted  to  hear — that  a  tidal  wave 
of  lawlessness  surged  back  to  town  and  rent  the  air  with 
anticipatory  braying  of  fish  horns. 

Fortunately  the  dedication  of  the  Hall  had  taken 
place  in  the  morning  before  the  noise  had  reached  its 
worst.  In  the  afternoon  the  building  was  to  be  thrown 
open  for  a  public  reception,  and  in  the  evening  the 
winter  course  of  entertainments  was  to  be  inaugurated 
by  a  high-class  concert. 

Mrs.  Garnett  and  Silence,  the  latter  in  white  for  the 
first  time  since  her  father's  death,  drove  down  to  the 
Hall  in  the  early  afternoon,  through  such  a  mass  of  dis- 
orderly sovereignty  that  they  went  round  for  Susan 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  301 

Jernigan,  thinking  that  she  could  scarcely  make  her 
way  on  foot  through  the  dusty,  impassable  streets. 
They  finally  reached  the  Hall,  where  Maria  Pocock  and 
a  dozen  young  girls  in  their  best  dresses  were  waiting 
to  allow  Mrs.  Garnett  and  her  daughter  to  be  the  first 
to  enter.  Northmore  and  Harrington  were  but  a 
moment  later,  and  the  committee  members  followed  soon, 
hurrying  about  to  see  that  every  last  detail  was  in 
order.  Twenty  minutes  before  the  announced  hour 
for  the  reception  a  large  figure  darkened  the  door, 
whom  Susan  Jernigan  hastened  to  welcome  and  to  claim 
as  her  prize. 

"  I'm  goin'  to  take  the  Old  Doctor  round  myself," 
she  proclaimed.  "  I've  ben  waitin'  ever  since  the  foun- 
dation was  laid  to  take  him  round  first.  You  may  show 
all  the  rest  of  the  town  if  you'll  let  me  take  him." 

"  You  surely  may,"  laughed  Silence,  seeing  the  grip 
she  had  upon  his  arm.  He  squared  himself,  arms 
akimbo,  and  gazed  round  the  audience  room. 

"Why,  Susan,  what's  this,  a  theatre?"  he  asked 
softly. 

"  No,  we  don't  call  it  that.  It's  a  lecture  hall  for 
everything  good  and  improvin',  concerts  an' — well,  yes, 
if  good  plays  come  'long,  I  shouldn't  wonder  if  they'd 
be  let  in.  All  these  chairs  can  be  moved  out  when  we 
want  it  for  a  church  doin's  or  a  big  party.  You  know 
Garnetts'  is  the  only  house  in  town  big  enough  for  any- 
thing of  the  sort." 

"  I  guess  that's  right.  And  when  are  these  things  to 
come  off?  " 


302  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

"  All  the  time.  There's  to  be  two  evenin's  a  week 
when  there's  doin's  a  body  can  come  to — and  be  edu- 
cated— and  the  tickets  are  only  to  pay  expenses.  If 
you  take  a  ticket  for  three  dollars,  you  can  come  a 
whole  year  on  it,  but  it  will  cost  you  twenty-five  cents 
for  a  single  time." 

"  I  see — a  sort  of  winter  Chautauqua — popular  in- 
struction and  amusement  combined." 

"  I  never  could  get  to  Chautauqua,  but  I  think  the 
winter  is  when  we  need  a  thing  like  this — when  our  chil- 
lern  has  to  get  out  of  the  nest  a  bit.  What  do  you 
think  of  it?  " 

He  leaned  heavily  on  his  cane,  eyes  roving  round  the 
beautiful  big  room,  then  upon  the  creamy  maple  floor. 
"  They'll  never  dance  here,  will  they,  Susan?  "  he  asked 
in  a  tragic  whisper. 

"  Doctor,  I've  learned  lately  that  there's  things  so 
much  worse  than  dancin'  that  I'm  not  borrowin'  trouble 
on  that  account.  Anything  in  this  place  is  bound  to  be 
innocent  and  respectable.  We're — seein'  some  things 
different,  now." 

"  But,  say,  Susan,  I'm  not  in  this.  How  did  I  come 
to  be  left  out?" 

"  They'd  be  glad  of  you  any  way  you  can  be  got, 
Doctor.  Now  come  upstairs;  did  you  ever  see  such 
pretty  ones?  Wide  and  easy!  This  first  room's  the 
library — a  circulatin'  library — and  Mr.  Northmore 
selected  every  book.  This  case  here's  the  State  travellin' 
library  that's  changed  every  six  months.  Off  to  this 
side  is  the  readin'  room  with  magazines  and  papers — 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  303 

that's  Florida  Morgan's  gift.  Now,  ain't  that  the 
cosiest  little  spot  you  ever  saw?  " 

"  Ah,  Susan,  I  was  born  too  soon !  Why  couldn't 
there  have  been  something  of  this  in  time  for  me? 
Look  at  that  jolly  fireplace  for  an  old-fashioned  log  fire 
— and  the  pretty  green  walls  with  flowers  at  the  top. 
Do  let  me  come  here  and  read  the  papers  sometimes,"  he 
begged  with  facetious  humility. 

Her  rich  laugh  rang  out  with  delight  at  the  plea; 
the  beloved  Old  Doctor! 

"  Now  come  over  to  the  reception  room — it's  big 
enough  for  a  parlour,  too.  Us  members  that  haven't 
nice  houses  are  goin'  to  give  parties  here  same  as  other 
folks.  Oh,  Doctor,  don't  you  see  how  much  chance 
it's  goin'  to  give  some  of  us  poor  folks  ?  " 

"  You'll  be  right  in  it,  Susan.  What's  the  next 
room?  " 

"  That's  one  of  the  best  things  in  it,  a  little  comfort 
room  for  farmer's  wives  to  rest  and  visit  in  and  leave 
their  packages  in.  There's  never  a  place  for  the 
farmer's  wife  and  daughters  while  he's  in  town.  They 
have  to  sit  in  the  waggon  after  their  shoppin's  done — • 
or  stand  round  in  the  stores  if  the  weather's  bad.  But 
this  has  lounges  and  easy  chairs  and  a  fireplace — and 
there's  a  lunch  table  or  two  in  the  little  room  off.  Noth- 
ing here'll  give  more  pleasure  than  that.  Back  there 
is  the  boys'  readin'  room,  and  in  the  other  corner  is  the 
nursery  with  all  sorts  of  games.  This  last  one,  over  the 
porch,  is  a  smoking  room." 

"  I  don't  believe  a  word  of  it.     You've  told  me  too 


304  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

much.  In  Mogadonia!  Never!  I  wish  I'd  longer  to 
enjoy  life — with  such  fairy  stories  as  this." 

"  Time  enough  now,  if  you'll  take  better  care  of  your- 
self. Come  down  to  the  basement." 

"That's  a  joke,  Susan.  You're  going  to  lock  me 
up  in  the  coal  bin,"  he  chuckled,  following  her  with 
careful  steps  down  the  lower  stairs. 

"  Why,  what's  all  this  ?  "  he  asked  as  she  led  him  into 
a  room  under  the  porch. 

"  This  is  the  gymnasium,  Mr.  Northmore's  part.  I 
guess  it's  perfect  in  its  way;  my  Ben  is  wild  over  it. 
Along  the  side  is  a  bowling  alley,  and  at  the  back  is  a 
swimming  pool.  The  next  is  a  play  room  for  boys,  but 
Mr.  Harrington  said  if  they  ever  wanted  a  billiard  room 
it  would  do  for  that." 

"  That  day'll  be  long  coming — though  I  don't  know. 
I  wouldn't  have  believed  this  a  year  ago.  Why,  Susan, 
what's  this  ?  More  fairy  tale  ?  " 

"  Did  you  ever  try  to  cook  a  meal  in  a  dream  ?  I 
never  could  get  one  finished  in  mine.  But  you  sit  down 
here  and  see  if  you  think  you're  dreaming.  Just  peep 
into  the  kitchen  first." 

"  Kitchen  ?  Do  you  call  this  beautiful  blue  and  white 
room  a  kitchen — with  the  glass  cupboards  and  the 
stunning  range?  And  a  sink  with  hot  and  cold  water 
— as  I  live.  Who's  goin'  to  run  this  part  of  it,  Susan? 
I  hope  it's  some  friend  of  mine." 

"  Yes,  it  is,  a  friend  that'll  be  glad  to  have  you  when- 
ever you  can  come — and  that's  me.  Now,  Doctor, 
you're  goin'  to  set  down  in  this  lovely  green  and  ivory 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  305 

dinin'-room  and  be  the  first  one  served  in  it.  Here's 
four  girls  waitin'  to  bring  you  ice  cream  and  cake  and 
the  best  coffee  you  ever  drank — from  the  new  machine. 
There's  Doctor  Tommy  pokin'  round  and  lookin* 
hungry,  but  he  isn't  goin'  to  have  one  bite  till  you've 
been  served.  You  go  an'  see  the  bathrooms,  Doctor 
Tommy,  till  your  pa's  ben  waited  on.  Now,  girls,  you 
jest  wait  on  the  Doctor  till  he  can't  eat  no  more,  for  I've 
got  to  go  upstairs.  Folks  are  comin'  fast." 

Which  was  embarrassingly  true,  as  not  only  expected 
guests  from  the  town  were  making  their  difficult  en- 
trance, but  many  half-tipsy  politicians  from  remote 
nooks  of  the  hills,  where  it  was  counted  a  surfeit  of 
learning  to  be  able  to  write  one's  name,  were  edging 
themselves  into  what  they  thought  a  side  show  of  the 
campaign  festivities.  Rough  men  elbowed  their  way 
about,  making  familiar  comments  to  the  girl  ushers. 

Late  in  the  afternoon,  when  the  procession  returned 
from  the  park,  it  became  necessary  to  close  the  doors  of 
the  Hall,  and  open  them  only  for  exit.  Some  of  the 
committee  did  not  venture  home  at  all,  but  stayed  over 
for  the  concert  in  the  evening.  Meanwhile  pandemo- 
nium raged  in  the  streets,  where  the  marshal  of  the  day 
and  his  assistants  were  as  straws  in  a  gale.  The  black 
cinder  dust,  ground  and  set  afloat  by  the  trampling  of 
many  feet,  hung  in  a  thick,  dry  mist  through  which  the 
maudlin  cries  of  drunken  men,  the  rattle  of  waggons, 
the  neighing  of  hungry  horses,  the  hoarse  iteration  of 
fakirs,  and  the  fretting  of  special  locomotives  which 
waited  for  the  excursion  trains,  made  a  strident  medley 


306  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

of  sounds  which  echoed  back  from  the  hills.  Weary 
mothers  with  little  children  clinging  to  their  skirts 
searched  for  errant  husbands — or  persuaded  them  when 
found  to  start  for  home,  and  the  line  of  outward-bound 
waggons  soon  stretched  toward  the  hills.  But  the  com- 
mittee at  Garnett  Hall  looked  anxiously  from  its  win- 
dows at  the  turgid  crowd  which  lingered  for  the  torch- 
light procession  that  night,  and  which  had  now  entirely 
abandoned  the  park  for  the  streets. 


CHAPTER    XXIH 

NORTHMORE  and  Harrington  held  a  brief  consultation 
about  the  advisability  of  abandoning  the  concert,  but 
as  the  musicians  were  from  a  distance,  and  were  already 
in  town,  and  many  people  would  be  disappointed  at  so 
inauspicious  an  opening,  it  was  decided  to  go  on,  even 
under  disadvantages. 

Mrs.  Garnett  and  Silence,  who,  among  others,  had 
stayed  over,  directed  attendants  at  the  Hall,  while  the 
two  young  men  picketed  the  approach  with  guards  from 
the  pottery.  Participants  in  the  torchlight  procession 
were  crowding  back  and  forth  on  the  sidewalks,  wob- 
bling their  ill-smelling  torches  around  the  new  building 
in  meaning  proximity. 

In  spite  of  difficulties,  a  large  audience  assembled, 
protected  from  ruffians  by  the  vigilance  of  the  guards. 
The  discordant  blare  of  many  bands,  and  the  un- 
restrained torment  of  fish  horns,  forewarned  the  assem- 
blage that  there  was  no  hope  of  hearing  the  really  fine 
music  that  was  to  be  rendered.  Not  long  before  the 
opening,  a  tumult  occurred  which  might  have  de- 
veloped into  a  general  melee  but  for  prompt  measures. 
A  man  whose  clothes  bore  marks  of  many  tumbles  in 
the  dust,  edged  his  way  into  the  vestibule,  profanely 
declaring  that  he  was  a  Morgan  man  and  entitled  to 
a  free  ticket  to  the  show.  It  required  force  to  eject 

307 


308  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

him,  and  as  the  guard  released  him  on  the  sidewalk,  he 
fell,  cutting  his  forehead  on  the  curbstone.  He  thought 
he  had  been  struck  and  hurt,  and  raised  an  outcry  which 
surrounded  him  with  sympathisers  longing  to  fight  off 
their  surplus  Morgan  enthusiasm  and  reckless  as  to  the 
mode  of  attack.  At  the  shout  of  the  onslaught,  North- 
more  shoved  his  big  form  fearlessly  upon  the  mass  of 
struggling  arms  and  legs,  seized  the  bleeding  man  by 
the  collar,  and  delivered  him  into  the  hands  of  a  marshal 
to  be  locked  up,  a  most  unsatisfactory  ending  of  the 
sensation  to  most  of  the  bystanders.  Immediately 
afterward  the  programme  of  the  evening  opened,  though 
the  audience  room  was  murky  with  the  stifling  smoke  of 
kerosene  torches.  Two  drunken  heelers  attempted  to 
climb  in  at  a  window  with  their  torches,  but  were 
pulled  back  from  the  outside  without  disturbance; 
they  leaned  against  the  wall  and  swore  vengeance  upon 
all  entertainments  which  excluded  good  Morgan  men, 
for  a  belief  appeared  to  prevail  that  Garnett  Hall  was 
a  part  of  the  celebration.  Then,  growing  weary,  they 
sought  a  place  of  rest,  though  the  procession  was 
forming  and  they  were  summoned  to  fall  in  line.  Not 
wanting  to  appear  in  the  street,  they  started  to  the 
rear  of  the  Hall,  but  lost  their  way,  and  decided  to 
rest  in  the  unfinished  bicycle  shed,  which  had  no  win- 
dow. One  climbed  upon  the  shoulders  of  the  other 
into  the  opening,  unlocked  the  door,  and  they  lay 
down  together  upon  a  soft  bed  of  shavings  behind  a 
carpenter's  bench,  having  taken  the  precaution  to  lean 
their  torches  carefully  against  the  wall  of  the  building. 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  309 

The  star  of  the  concert  company  was  the  soprano, 
who  first  appeared  in  the  fourth  number — the  first 
singer  of  note  who  had  ever  appeared  in  Mogadonia — 
and  was  greeted  with  hearty  applause,  for  her  clear, 
high  voice  triumphed  over  the  bedlam  outside.  It  was 
strained  a  little  as  she  finished  the  first  stanza,  but  after 
the  momentary  rest  of  the  interlude  she  began  bravely 
on  the  second,  sang  a  few  notes,  and  stopped  with  a  gasp 
for  breath.  Then  the  audience  knew  that  the  smart  of 
wood  smoke  had  overpowered  the  rank  smell  of  kero- 
sene, and  a  startled  rustle  and  murmur  ran  through  the 
auditorium.  Northmore  had  been  keeping  guard  of 
the  entrance,  but  sprang  to  his  feet  at  the  first  scent 
that  reached  him,  and  walked  deliberately  down  the  aisle. 
Before  he  reached  the  stage,  however,  a  wild  cry  of 
"  Fire !  Fire ! "  smote  the  boisterous  night  and  lashed 
the  assemblage  to  panic.  Northmore  had  instantly 
divined  the  source  of  the  smoke.  He  mounted  the  stage, 
his  commanding  voice  and  presence  compelling  atten- 
tion even  in  the  pandemonium  that  reigned.  The  singer 
fled  'to  him  for  protection ;  his  tones  rang  easily  above 
the  deafening  clamour. 

"Go  out  quietly!  There's  no  danger  yet.  Keep 
order !  Don't  rush !  " 

At  this  there  was  a  halt  of  attention.  People 
turned  their  faces  to  him.  He  seized  the  opportunity. 
"  The  fire  is  at  this  end — behind  me.  There's  plenty  of 
time.  Go  out  quietly.  You're  all  safe." 

By  this  time  a  long  red  blade  of  blaze  had  sawed  its 
way  through  the  wall  back  of  him,  puffing  out  volumes 


310  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

of  intolerable  smoke.  But  he  stood  his  ground,  keeping 
order  by  sheer  force  of  personality.  When  the  audi- 
ence really  saw  that  the  fire  was  coming  from  the  stage 
end  of  the  building,  the  dispersal  was  as  orderly  as 
though  the  concert  had  closed  in  the  usual  way.  By  the 
time  that  the  rear  half  of  the  large  hall  was  empty,  the 
flames  burst  jubilantly  through  the  flies  behind  North- 
more  and  enswathed  the  beautiful  new  woodwork  in 
merciless  holocaust.  The  members  of  the  concert  com- 
pany had  all  gone  safely  to  the  front;  the  crowd  was 
fast  passing  the  danger  of  panic ;  the  heat  was  grow- 
ing more  intense  each  second,  and  Northmore  was  ling- 
ering but  a  last  breath  to  keep  command,  when  a  richly 
dressed  girl  cut  through  the  crowd,  rushed  back  through 
smothering,  stinging  smoke,  and  flung  herself  upon 
him,  gasping :  "  Why  don't  you  run  ?  Quick !  You 
will  be  killed." 

He  loosened  her  grip,  caught  up  her  silk  skirt,  wind- 
ing it  about  her  head,  lifted  her  in  his  arms,  sprang  from 
the  platform,  for  the  steps  were  blazing,  and  blindly 
fought  his  way  out  through  the  seats  which  he  could 
no  longer  see.  He  was  the  last  to  reach  the  door — 
and  none  too  soon!  Florida  lay  limp  in  his  arms, 
choked  with  smoke.  He  pushed  his  way  out  through  the 
wild  jam  of  people — the  torchlight  procession  was  just 
returning  and  added  its  yelling  files  to  the  disaster — and 
sought  a  refuge  down  the  street.  The  first  open  door 
was  that  of  the  Old  Doctor's  office.  He  carried  his 
burden  in,  put  her  into  a  big  chair  and  threw  back  the 
light  covering  from  her  face.  She  caught  her  breath, 


'WHY  DON'T  You  RUN?    QUICK!" — Page  310. 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  311 

and  the  tears  in  her  eyes  escaped  and  stole  over  her 
cheeks,  while  she  gave  him  a  look  that  a  man  does  not 
receive  twice  in  a  lifetime — if  he  ever  does  at  all.  It 
took  him  a  moment  to  be  sure  of  his  voice. 

"  What  a  foolish  thing  to  do !  I  wasn't  in  the  least 
danger,  you  know,"  he  said  in  the  tender  scorn  with 
which  a  man  rebukes  a  woman's  needless  panic  at  his 
peril. 

She  rose  to  her  feet  without  reply;  she  was  tremb- 
ling so  much  that  she  could  scarcely  stand.  They 
were  very  near  each  other.  He  lifted  his  arm  deliber- 
ately— his  eyes  making  utter  surrender  to  hers — and 
curved  it  about  her  round,  young  form — mutely,  be- 
cause no  words  fine  and  delicate  enough  have  ever  been 
made — or  were  ever  needed. 

"Oh,  our  beautiful  Hall!"  she  wailed  a  little  later 
when  the  illumination  of  the  room  brought  them  back  to 
earth  again.  "  Can't  they  save  any  of  it  at  all  ?"  His 
face  saddened. 

"  No,  it  was  beyond  control  from  the  first.  And  the 
dense  crowd  would  have  made  it  impossible  anyhow." 
Then  suddenly  realising  the  full  tragedy  of  it,  he  turned 
to  her  with  a  shy  caress: 

"  My  love — oh,  my  dear  love !  You  don't  know  what 
you  have  done — in  this  utter  failure  of  me !  " 

"  Yes,  I  know,  I  know  better  than  you  can.  I  see 
it  all — success  and  failure,  and  right  and  wrong — 
through  your  eyes  now,  and  I  must  henceforth  live  by 
your  ideals,  dearest.  I  could  not  depend  upon  my 


312  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

father's  bounty  now — though  I  don't  judge  him  by  that 
standard.  We  will  fight  the  world  together." 

Northmore  laid  his  free  hand  across  her  lips.  "  Poor 
little  one !  I  think  that  she  is  preparing  to  starve " 

"  Never !  It  was  you  who  made  that  cowardly  excuse. 
I  am  only  answering  it  in  the  first  chance  I  have  ever 
had.  How  mean  you  were !  " 

"  Poor  girl !  Wasn't  there  something  better  in  store 
for  you?  " 

"  How  could  there  be  ?  And  it  had  to  be.  We  both 
fought  it  from  the  start — and  failed.  I  knew  it  from 
the  very  first.  The  day  when  you  so  calmly  took  pos- 
session of  me  and  went  to  look  for  the  children;  I 
knew  I  had  found  my  master.  But  I  had  a  little  pride 
— and  when  you  were  so — proud — I  went  away  and 
stayed  all  winter.  I  tried  to  hate  you — because  I  loved 
you." 

"  Dear  love !  My — wife ! — it  is  still  wrong,  but  I 
am  going  to  take  you  from  your  birthright — little 
princess.  You  are  mme!  " 

Her  soft  hands  drew  down  his  face  for  a  wordless 
reply.  When  her  lips  were  free  again  she  laughed  softly, 
"  My  only  worry  is — to  know  where  we  shall  be  married. 
Don't  you  suppose  Silence  will  give  us  standing  room 
at  her  wedding?  " 

"  If  she  can't,  I  know  that  Mrs.  Jernigan  will — 
bless  her!  And  what  else  matters  when  we  have  each 
other— at  last !  " 

A  fresh  burst  of  light  blazed  luridly  into  the  little 
room.  He  drew  her  into  the  street,  shielding  her  from 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  313 

the  rabble.  A  volunteer  fire  brigade  was  trying  to  pro- 
tect the  surrounding  buildings  from  swaying  sheets  of 
flame  which  waved  out  from  the  last  timbers  of  Garnett 
Hall.  He  led  her  round  by  a  cross  street  in  the  direction 
of  Mrs.  Garnett's  house.  A  dense  crowd  encircled  the 
court  house  steps,  from  which  someone  was  speaking  so 
earnestly  as  to  command  a  hush  of  attention.  It  was 
the  Old  Doctor.  At  sight  of  him  Northmore  suddenly 
realised  the  complete  destruction  of  his  work ;  the  anni- 
hilation of  his  dead  friend's  completed  scheme ;  the  nega- 
tion of  all  the  good  that  he  hoped  would  emanate  from 
it,  and  last,  the  loss  of  a  sum  contributed  from  his 
own  small  patrimony  which  he  could  not  give  again.  In 
the  first  flush  of  his  joy,  nothing  of  this  had  been  real 
to  him.  The  fire  roared  and  crackled  triumphantly  at 
his  back — he  could  not  face  it. 

"  Listen,  little  darling,  you  don't  understand.  This 
is  like  everything  else  that  I  have  tried  to  do — an  utter 
failure!  It  will  follow  you,  too,  and  I  can't  allow 
that." 

"  Hush !  Listen !  "  whispered  Florida,  clinging  to 
his  shoulder. 

"  — We  now  see  what  one  day  of  political  corruption 
has  done  for  our  town — and  what  it  has  undone!  Is 
that  the  method  of  a  Christian  candidate?  Is  it  the 
kind  of  representation  we  want  ?  Are  we  going  to  make 
a  campaign  bonfire  of  the  finest  institution  our  town 
ever  had,  to  win  votes  for  the  real  owner  of  Wildwood 
Park — its  opposition  ?  " 

"  No !  "  roared  a  mighty  composite  voice. 


314.  'ALTARS   TO    MAMMON 

The  roof  crashed  in  and  a  subdued  groan  from  the 
people  interrupted  the  speaker.  When  quiet  was  re- 
stored, he  went  on :  "  No !  We're  going  to  hold  this 
town  for  law  and  order — with  sober  ballots.  That's  our 
party  platform — honour  and  decency.  We're  never 
going  to  have  such  scenes  on  our  streets  again  as  have 
disgraced  to-day.  And — one  thing  more ! — we're  going 
to  build  that  hall  again!  We  can't  do  without  it — 
after  having  it  this  one  day." 

"  Hurrah !  Hurrah  for  the  Old  Doctor !  "  endorsed 
the  crowd. 

"  Just  as  quick  as  that  foundation  gets  cool  enough 
we're  going  to  put  up  that  building  again — and  we're 
going  to  raise  the  money  among  ourselves.  I  wasn't  in 
it  the  other  time — but  I'm  going  to  get  in  this  time — 
on  the  ground  floor.  I'll  start  the  stock  this  minute 
with  two  thousand  dollars.  I  believe  the  other  build- 
ing cost  twenty-five." 

"  I'll  give  a  thousand,"  added  Mr.  Moneypenny, 
shouldering  his  way  through.  "  I  opposed  it  before — 
but  I  have  reason  to  want  it  now." 

"  There's  fifteen  thousand  insurance  on  it,"  announced 
Mr.  Harrington  from  the  top  step. 

A  man  who  had  been  struggling  through  to  the  Old 
Doctor,  now  spoke  to  him  in  a  low  tone,  the  doctor 
leaning  down  to  listen.  When  he  had  repeated  the  mes- 
sage, to  make  sure,  the  Old  Doctor  lifted  his  hand  for 
attention : 

"  I  am  requested  to  announce  that  Mr.  Morgan 
deeply  regrets  that  this  accident  should  have  occurred 


ALTARS   TO    MAMMON  315 

on  the  night  of  the  torchlight  procession,  as  he  fears 
that  some  spark  set  loose  in  the  exceedingly  dry  weather 
may  have  been  the  cause,  and  on  account  of  this,  he 
offers  to  rebuild  the  Hall  entirely  at  his  own  expense. 
What  shall  we  do  with  this  offer?  What  shall  we  do 
with  our  own  intentions  ?  " 

It  was  the  propitious  moment ;  enthusiasm  was  at  its 
highest  point. 

"  No ! "  shouted  one  voice  with  no  uncertain  ring. 
"  No !  "  followed  a  few  scattering  votes. 

"  No !  "  called  a  woman's  rich,  throaty  tone.  "  It's  a 
bid  for  votes  on  'lection  day,  and  this  town  don't 
sell  itself  at  that  price.  We'll  build  that  hall  agin 
independent,  with  Mr.  Northmore  at  the  head  of  it." 

"  Three  cheers  for  Mis'  Jernigan ! "  proposed  a 
youthful  tenor,  and  they  rang  out  with  a  will. 

"Northmore!  Northmore!  Where's  Northmore?" 
shouted  many  voices.  But  Northmore  could  not  be 
found.  He  had  grown  suddenly  faint,  and  was  sitting  in 
the  shadow  on  the  steps  of  the  National  Bank,  his  head 
in  his  hands,  and  Florida  beside  him,  her  delicate  rich 
gown  trailing  in  the  gritty  dust. 

"  Oh,  no,  don't  call  it  failure ! "  she  was  saying. 
"  Can't  you  see  what  you  have  achieved?  Can't  you 
see  what  a  reactive  tornado  it  has  produced — your  work 
— this  rousing  of  the  public  conscience — the  rising 
above  the  jingling  of  the  guinea  and  holding  their  votes 
as  a  sacred  right?  Nothing  else  could  have  done  it  so 
surely.  Think  what  it  means — in  this  age — to  refuse 
a  great  gift  for  their  own  self-respect — lest  it  should 


316  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

be  a  bribe.     Think  of  it!     It  is  tremendous — and  you 
have  achieved  it — my  hero,  my  king !  " 

He  turned  quickly  and  drew  her  clcse  in  the  hollow 
of  a  possessing  arm:  "  If  all  else  has  failed — if  all  my 
life  has  been  bootlessly  spent — it  is  well  lost — for  it 
has  brought  you  to  me — my  Love — my  Love !  " 


CHAPTER    XXIV 

THE  light  sheathing  of  Garnett  Hall  was  swiftly  eaten 
up  by  the  ferocity  of  the  fire,  but  its  staunch  new  beams 
resisted  destruction  until  daylight,  when  the  last  glow- 
ing brands  sank  into  ashes.  Their  blaze  made  a 
rendezvous  during  the  night  hours  for  those  delegates 
whose  enthusiasm  had  outlasted  the  Grand  Rally  to  the 
extent  that  they  could  not  remember  where  they  lived 
— or  had  lost  all  desire  to  go  there.  These  ranged 
themselves  around  the  blazing  heap  in  such  attitudes 
as  they  were  still  able  to  maintain,  with  that  delight  in 
a  conflagration  which  is  one  of  the  survivals  of  primi- 
tive savagery  to  which  man  in  the  mass  reverts.  Their 
enjoyment  merged,  with  the  waning  glow,  into  an  after- 
math of  righteous  indignation  at  the  irrevocable 
destruction.  This  smothered  righteousness  now  rose 
mightily,  puffing  itself  into  noble  proportions  and 
clawing  with  octopus  arms  for  a  meaty  victim.  The 
visible  object  was  the  man  in  the  limelight,  the  man 
to  whom  this  critical  assemblage  owed  a  grudge — for 
had  they  not  partaken  of  his  hospitality  that  day? 
And  when  is  an  unpaid  obligation  not  an  injury  to  be 
resented?  The  barbecue  had  been  eaten,  the  chemical 
whisky  dried  at  the  fount,  while  human  rectitude  in 
the  matter  of  other  men's  sins  grows  sharp  at  three 
o'clock  of  the  morning  after.  The  clammy  feelers  of 

317 


318  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

public  judgment  lighted  upon  Tom  Morgan,  slid 
critically  over  him,  found  him  edible,  and  sent  an  arm 
or  two  out  to  draw  him  into  closer  embrace. 

"  Morgan's  went  too  fur,"  rolled  out  the  first  feeler 
in  difficult  articulation  to  a  neighbour  who  hugged  his 
knees  before  the  fire.  "  He  hadn't  orto  of  burned  down 
fine  prope'ty  that-a-way." 

"  Morgan  never  done  it,"  gurgled  the  companion 
feebly. 

" Morgan  done  it  all  right,  all  right!  I  never  said 
he  put  no  match  to  it  with  his  own  hands — but  you  take 
notice  to  him  an'  Northmore.  They  ain't  whoopin'  fur 
one  'nother." 

"  You're  right  thar,"  observed  a  barroom  sage  of 
hoary  whiskers.  "  Hit  mought  of  ben  'naccident — 
but  hit  was  the  oncommonest  handiest  accident  ever 
I  seen." 

"  It's  killed  Northmore,  all  right,"  observed  a  rack- 
etty  voice  farther  away,  "  killed  him  deader'n  a  ham- 
mer. Too  bad  fur  Northmore,  too.  He  ain't  a  bad 
feller — considerin'  he  used  ter  preach.  Heard  him  make 
er  speech.  He  can't  help  it  he's  on  t'other  side.  Had 
to  be  'nother  side — Morgan  wouldn't  have  nobody  to 
beat.  Morgan's  got  to  beat  somebody,  I  reckon.  How 
c'n  Northmore  help  that?  Morgan's  got  everything 
— 'lection — 'n'  money — all  the  money  'n  the  worl' — 
'n'  office — 'n' — money — 'n' — money — 'n' — everything. 
Northmore's  pore  man — pore  man's  friend,  too.  Damn 
shame  to  burn  down  Northmore's  show — 'n'  all  his 
wives — 'n'  chillern — everything.  Morgan's  durned 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  319 

hog — that's  what  Morgan  is !  "  bellowed  a  reclining 
figure  in  a  warm  place. 

"  Ah'm  goin'  to  vote  f'r  Northmore ! "  croaked  a 
ragged  throat.  "  Rar  f 'r  Northmore !  "  But  there 
was  not  enough  breath  in  the  party  to  vocalise  the 
cheer. 

"  Ought  to  'courage  pore  man's  friend,"  resumed 
the  man  of  an  idea.  "Let's  vote  f'r  Northmore. 
What's  he  runnin'  fur  ?  " 

"  Same  thing's  Morgan,  'course.  Yah !  'Courage 
pore  man — pore  man's — pore  man's — burnt  up — 
show "  and  the  speaker  went  to  sleep  upon  this  vir- 
tuous resolve. 

The  last  drops  of  Fury's  whisky  were  drained  from 
short-necked  bottles,  and  husky  opinions  about  nothing 
in  particular  were  endorsed  with  a  grunt  of  applause. 

"  Morgan's  damn  c'ruption  can'date !  Don't  vote 
my  vote  f'r  rotgut  whisky  'n'  bum  terbacker.  Mor- 
gan's cheap!  Only  give  us  two  hunnerd  dollars  'n' 
uniforms  f'r  our  whole  township!  'M  goin'  vote  f'r 
hones'  man ! " 

This  was  such  convincing  logic  that  the  politicians 
mostly  went  to  sleep  upon  it. 

The  dull  purple  of  dawn  found  a  corona  of  lusty 
patriots  radiating  from  the  warm  ashes  of  Garnett 
Hall.  The  first  man  to  waken  sat  up,  extricated  his 
head  from  the  ruins  of  his  campaign  hat,  and  con- 
tinued his  argument,  unconscious  that  there  had  been 
a  hiatus  of  some  hours.  " — Yah!  Damfool  trick  of 
Morgan  to  give  himself  away — offering  to  build  'nozzer 


320  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

house  f'r  one  he  burned.  Northmore's  good  feller,  too. 
Never  spent  a  c'ruption  dollar !  " 

The  blurred  autumn  day  streamed  in  a  red  glare  over 
the  hump  of  Saddleback  upon  the  sleepy  town,  in  linger- 
ing dust  and  smoke  and  thick  debris  of  its  most  ex- 
citing day.  It  was  the  dawn  of  a  reactive  day  when 
overspent  enthusiasm  sought  grumbling  in  its  ashes 
for  what  it  had  lost. 

Joe  Fury  drove  out  to  Heathermuir  earlier  than  he 
was  even  wont  to  rise,  to  offer  a  congratulatory  hand 
to  his  chief.  The  Grand  Rally,  masterstroke  of  the 
campaign,  well  planned  and  lavishly  executed,  had  so 
far  exceeded  expectations  in  the  hosts  of  retainers  it 
had  swept  in  from  remote  hill  fastnesses  that  its  ban- 
ners spelled  nothing  less  than  overwhelming  success. 
But,  sweeter  than  success  to  Tom  Morgan  was  the 
annihilation  of  Northmore,  the  only  man  who  had  ever 
dared  openly  to  oppose  his  dictates,  to  humble  his  su- 
premacy, to  wound  his  inordinate  self-love. 

The  triumph  of  victory  was  gilded  by  the  downfall 
of  his  foe. 

The  two  winners  shook  hands  long  in  rejoicing  with- 
out need  of  words. 

"  I  tell  you  it's  going  to  be  a  landslide !  Thompson 
Jones  has  bought  a  ticket  to  South  America — to  raise 
peanuts.  Nothin'  in  this  district  ever  like  it  before." 

"  It  was  a  great  idea.  And  I  give  you  credit  for 
carrying  out  my  idea  well,  very  well,  indeed." 

"  Thank  you,  Mr.  Morgan — the  Honourable  Mr. 
Morgan !  I  do  think  it  was  well  done — never  lost  sight 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

of  a  thing — never  went  wrong  once — well,  I  don't  know, 
either,  but  it  went  a  little  farther  than  we  meant  it  to, 
the  enthusiasm — but  I  guess  that  was  all  to  the  good. 
Sort  of  opposition  scheme,  anyway,  that  holy  theatre. 
I  always  opposed  it,  from  the  first." 

"  So  did  I,  Joe,  and  I  notice  that  what  I  don't  ap- 
prove of  in  this  county  doesn't  generally  prosper." 

"  I  should  say  not !  " 

It  is  only  a  supreme  master  of  the  great  games  of 
war  and  politics  who  can  calculate  to  a  nicety  the  force 
of  rebound.  And  both  Morgan  and  Fury  were  mere 
caddies  in  training.  Hence  they  could  not  calculate 
the  reflex  force  of  each  day  they  had  mistakenly  lost 
by  changing  to  the  earlier  date  of  the  Garnett  Hall 
opening.  And  seven  days  can  measure  an  epoch — when 
begun  by  a  conflagration. 

Northmore  also  had  risen  early  on  the  morning  after 
the  eventful  night,  had  risen  eagerly  after  hours  of 
almost  delirious  wakefulness,  and  hurried  to  his  office, 
impatient  to  begin  anew  the  building  of  the  Hall  and  all 
that  it  stood  for,  regarding  the  apparent  failure  of  his 
political  championship  with  a  degree  of  satisfaction, 
since,  having  done  his  utmost  to  defeat  the  candidate, 
Morgan,  he  could  acquiesce  in  the  victory  of  the  man, 
Morgan,  who  was  Florida's  father,  for  her  sake.  Dur- 
ing the  unreal  visions  of  the  night  he  half  believed  that 
the  sacred  hour  in  which  he  had  held  Florida  Morgan 
for  a  moment  to  his  heart,  his  promised  wife,  in  which 
he  had  heard  words  of  love  from  her  lips  that  started 
out  in  electric  fire  as  he  read  them  in  memory  again  and 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

again,  was  an  illuminated  phantasy,  a  part  of  the  lurid 
dream  of  the  destruction  of  the  Hall  with  which  it  was 
mingled.  He  went  around  behind  the  spur  to  avoid 
seeing  the  ruins  and  knowing  their  evidence. 

Among  other  things  it  flashed  upon  him  in  the  night 
that,  while  he  had  in  no  way  neglected  his  work  at  the 
factory,  he  had  been  faithful  only  in  the  capacity  of  a 
paid  agent.  He  had  not  put  his  individuality  into  it, 
nor  developed  it  in  any  of  the  many  ways  thrft  his  pro- 
gressive temperament  might  have  suggested  and  the 
prosperity  of  the  past  year  made  possible.  He  had 
been  deterred  from  this  by  his  desire  to  carry  out  Mr. 
Garnett's  method  along  its  original  lines  as  far  as  pos- 
sible and  by  the  dread  of  Mrs.  Garnett's  instinctive 
conservatism.  Several  improvements  might  be  made — 
ought  to  be  made,  in  fact,  for  this  was  a  case  in  which 
there  was  no  middle  ground.  He  must  go  forward  or 
backward. 

There  had  come  to  him  soon  after  his  return  in  the 
spring  the  wreck  of  a  man  sodden  with  drink  who 
claimed  to  be  an  expert  in  a  certain  line  and  who  wanted 
a  chance  to  work  and  to  reconstruct  himself.  This 
chance  Northmore  had  given  with  a  good  deal  of  per- 
sonal interest  and  had  watched  him  expand  into  decency 
and  steadiness  of  conduct.  The  man,  an  Englishman, 
had  been  crowded  from  his  notice  by  the  clamouring 
activities  of  the  past  few  weeks,  and  Northmore  now 
made  it  his  first  duty  to  look  him  up  and  see  how  he  was 
holding  out.  He  found  him  there  early,  confused  and 
reticent  at  Northmore's  cordial  questioning  about  him- 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  323 

self.  But  he  was  doing  his  work  well,  exceptionally 
well,  and  with  a  skill  that  gave  it  distinction. 

"  I  think  I'm  going  to  have  a  talk  with  you,  Mullins, 
— about  experimenting  a  little,  with  a  view  to  adding 
a  specialty  or  two  to  our  output  later  on." 

Mullins's  face  lighted  at  the  intimation. 

"  That's  good  news,  sir.  It's  what  I  was  'oping,  sir, 
that  we  could  do  a  bit  better  in  the  hornamental  line. 
I've  ben  tryin'  my  'and  out  of  hours  and  I  think  I've 
struck  a  glaze  that's  a  himprovement  over  anything 
round  'ere,  sir.  If  I  'ave,  Mr.  Northmore,  we  can 
make  a  good  thing  hof  it." 

*'  Go  ahead  and  experiment  as  much  as  you  like.  We 
want  to  make  our  ware  better  and  better — and  add  some 
new  departments,  don't  we?  " 

"  You're  right,  sir,  we  do !  "  Mullins'  polished  face 
glowed  a  shade  brighter  and  he  turned  to  his  task  with 
new  inspiration. 

That  afternoon  Northmore  had  a  long  talk  with  Mrs. 
Garnett  and  Silence,  showing  them  through  the  various 
departments  and  explaining  how  easy  it  would  be  to 
enlarge  the  capacity  of  the  pottery  and  how  desirable 
it  would  be  to  improve  the  quality  of  the  ware  by  the 
addition  of  a  specialty.  To  this  both  agreed,  and  he 
promised  to  have  a  definite  proposition  to  place  before 
them  within  a  week.  This,  with  an  occasional  stolen 
glimpse  of  Florida  at  Mrs.  Garnett's,  made  the  week  a 
swift  one,  bringing  election  day  on  apace.  He  made  the 
closing  speech  for  Thompson  Jones  on  the  preceding 
evening  at  Mosely's,  a  hamlet  a  few  miles  away,  and 


324  'ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

went  to  cast  his  vote  early  the  next  morning  with  a 
sense  of  relief  that  the  long  strain  was  over. 

As  he  entered  the  pottery  Mullins  met  him  with  a 
triumphant  air  that  covered  no  common  day's  work. 

"  Good-mornin',  Mr.  Northmore.  I  'ope  you  find 
yourself  well  this  fine  day  ? — That's  good,  sir.  If  you'd 
take  the  trouble  to  step  in  here,  sir,  I'd  like  you  to  see 
a  piece  or  two  that's  just  come  out  of  the  kiln — a  bit 
that  I've  been  doin'  of — and  they  ain't  bad,  sir,  I  think. 
At  least,  that's  my  opinion." 

It  had  taken  the  education  of  the  past  six  months  to 
make  Northmore  appreciate  the  slender  vase  that  the 
other  man  handed  to  him  with  a  loving  caress.  He  took 
it  and  turned  it  carefully  in  his  hand,  holding  it  to  the 
light,  then  watching  its  brilliance  in  shade.  Mullins 
waited,  breathing  heavily. 

"  Did  you  do  this  ?  "  was  the  first  inane  question. 

"  I  did,  sir." 

"  Can  you  do  it  again  ?  " 

"  Every  time,  sir, — that  is,  barrin' " 

"Of  course.     I  mean — it  wasn't  chance?" 

"  Not  a  bit  of  it,  Mr.  Northmore.  I've  done  almost 
the  same  in  my  old  place,  and  I  allus  felt  sure  that  if  I 
had  the  liberty  to  go  a  bit  my  own  way,  I  could  do  this. 
Ain't  she  a  beauty,  though  ?  " 

"  It  is  exquisite.  I  shall  take  this  to  Mrs.  Garnett 
at  once,  and  to — another  lady  who  knows  a  great  deal 
about  fine  ware.  We'll  not  stop  on  this,  I  can  assure 
you." 

Mullins  returned  to  his  bench  with  an  eager  lurch,  and 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  325 

Northmore  went  to  his  desk  to  hurry  through  his  own 
work.  It  was  noon  before  he  could  get  away  to  see 
Mrs.  Garnett  and  Silence.  They  were  delighted  with 
the  specimen,  which  he  hardly  gave  them  time  to  exam- 
ine, so  impatient  he  was  to  exhibit  it  to  Florida. 

He  drove  out  over  the  smooth  road  to  Heathermuir, 
lending  himself  to  the  day,  one  of  those  rare  tourna- 
ments of  the  hills  when  they  appear  to  march  in  majes- 
tic procession  as  billows  of  glimmering  mist  and  waves 
of  golden  light  and  purple  shadow  play  upon  them  with 
an  effect  of  solemn  motion.  It  was  apparent  that  there 
was  intense  interest  in  the  election  from  the  groups  of 
earnest  men  who  everywhere  were  tending  to  the  voting 
places. 

"  I  guess  Morgan's  making  a  clean  sweep,"  remarked 
more  than  one  man  who  stopped  him  to  ask  for  a  pre- 
diction of  that  most  uncertain  futurity — the  result  of 
an  election. 

"  I  suppose  so,"  he  would  answer,  in  haste  to  go  on. 
He  was  lifted  into  an  upper  ether  of  happiness  by  the 
growing  reality  of  Florida's  love  and  frightened  a  little 
at  the  requirements  of  such  a  woman's  standard  of  man- 
hood, beside  which  considerations  all  other  human 
affairs  grew  trivial. 

With  this  keenly  in  mind,  something  like  dread  rose 
within  him  at  the  glow  of  love  and  pride  and  utter 
faith  in  the  eyes  that  met  him.  Would  he  be  strong  and 
noble  enough  to  keep  that  look  in  his  wife's  eyes  through 
all  the  years  of  their  dual  life?  But  the  touch  of  her 
confident  hand,  the  impact  of  her  personality,  the 


326  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

warmth  of  her  sweet  mouth  thrilled  him  with  resolve 
and  taught  him  that  though  she  had  exalted  ideals,  she 
would  help  him  to  attain  them. 

They  went  up  to  the  summer  house  where  they  had 
spent  the  first  hours  of  their  acquaintance  together,  and 
she  made  tea  for  him  in  the  perfect  afternoon  whose 
hours  slipped  by  like  pearls  on  a  golden  strand.  It  had 
been  but  a  year  since  their  first  talk  in  that  spot,  a  year 
into  whose  little  span  an  age  of  living  had  been  crowded. 
It  was  the  first  opportunity  they  had  had  for  a  quiet 
conference  regarding  the  arrangements  for  their  mar- 
riage. There  was  a  glamour  of  rose  tint  in  the  shy  con- 
fidences they  exchanged.  Florida  tried  to  estimate  how 
many  gowns  a  year  she  actually  needed,  and  Northmore 
told  her  how  much  he  could  earn,  twice  as  much,  she 
said,  as  she  had  expected. 

"  You  are  not  to  sacrifice  your  comfort,  you  know. 
It  may  mean  a  little  waiting,  but  not  very  long,"  he  said 
with  a  smile. 

For  the  look  she  gave  him  in  reply  he  could  have 
worshipped  her :  "  There  is  no  question  of  that  now. 
And  you  may  have  to  take  me  very  suddenly — if — if 
father  is  defeated.  I  can't  think  of  such  a  possibility — 
I  have  no  idea  what  he  will  do — but  it  will  be  something 
terrible.  It  will  be  the  blow  of  his  life — he  has  never 
been  crossed  before — and  he  will  hold  you  accountable. 
I  don't  know  what  he  will  do." 

"  There's  no  danger  of  that,  Florida.  Your  father 
has  the  whole  district.  All  the  foreign  ^miners  and  mill 
hands  have  been  naturalised  and  will  be  voted  in  pla- 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  327 

toons.  His  election  has  been  conceded  ever  since  the 
barbecue." 

He  had  forgotten  the  vase  until  now.  She  watched 
him  unfold  its  delicate  wrappings,  and  gave  a  cry  of 
pleasure  when  it  was  revealed.  She  took  it  up  and 
turned  it  to  the  light,  seeing  qualities  that  he  had  not 
known — and  he  had  been  studying  pottery  for  months. 

"  What  a  lot  of  opportunity  that  suggests — for  the 
pottery  and  for  Mogadonia  and  for  us.  If  you  can 
produce  one  thing  like  this,  you  can  make  a  reputation 
for  your  ware.  What  do  you  call  it?  " 

"  It  is  practically  new — unique.  There's  a  sugges- 
tion of  some  of  the  English  makes — but  it  is  new. 
Name  it,  dearest." 

"  Shall  I  ?  It  makes  me  think  of  the  aurora  lights  I 
saw  last  winter — a  thin  green  flame,  edged  with  rose, 
with  stars  gleaming  through,  upon  a  background  of 
royal  blue  sky.  Not  that  these  are  the  colours,  but  they 
have  that  mysterious  translucency.  Do  you  want  to 
call  it  that — Aurora?  " 

"  So  be  it  christened." 

"  And  what  are  you  going  to  do  with  it  ?  " 

"  Make  it  a  department  now,  and  experiment  and 
improve.  Then  we  shall  see  what  else  can  be  done.  I 
don't  know  just  how  to  develop  the  idea — and  the  man 
— but  a  test  will  try  that.  What  would  you  ad- 
vise? " 

"  To  go  abroad  and  study  the  old-world  potteries — 
and  ceramics — as  closely  as  possible.  One  learns  so 
much  from  the  actual  places  and  the  marvellous  displays 
that  are  not  trade  secrets  at  all.  Can  you  manage  it?  " 


328  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

"  If  you  will  go  with  me.  Yes,  I  can  manage  that, 
for  it  is  my  business  .now.  That  will  make  it  worth 
while  and  give  me  a  grip  on  something  permanent — if 
you  are  willing  that  it  should  be  so." 

She  leaned  forward  and  laid  her  hand  upon  his,  look- 
ing into  his  eyes  again,  her  own  luminous  with  purpose- 
ful love :  "  I  shall  love  it.  We  will  go  together  and 
study  and  improve  and  import  until  we  make  the  finest 
and  loveliest  ware  in  the  country.  And  we  will  carry 
on  Mr.  Garnett's  purpose  with  the  people  and  the  vil- 
lage— oh,  it  will  be  splendid  to  have  an  object  to 
attain." 

He  bent  to  kiss  her  for  answer,  finding  words  quite 
inadequate  for  the  things  he  wanted  to  tell  her. 

Tom  Morgan  had  forgotten  that  he  had  a  daughter 
that  afternoon.  He  had  been  making  a  circuit  of  the 
district  in  his  big  red  touring  car  and  drove  through 
the  hilly  streets  of  Mogadonia  just  about  this  time  most 
ostentatiously,  believing  that  proof  of  wealth  was  proof 
of  greatness.  For  touring  cars  were  not  a  common 
sight  among  the  hills — and  he  imagined  that  the  display 
would  inspire  votes  for  him.  He  met  a  delegation  of 
quarry  hands  headed  by  Quiggins  on  their  way  to  the 
polls.  Quiggins  took  off  his  hat  with  a  significant  smile 
that  pleased  the  candidate  immensely  and  made  him 
wonder  why  he  had  not  thought  of  Quiggins  as  a  cam- 
paign worker.  He  was  an  intelligent  fellow,  an  excep- 
tionally good  talker,  and  had  boundless  influence  with 
his  companions.  But  then,  it  would  have  been  super- 
fluous. 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  329 

Florida  went  as  far  as  the  great  iron  gates  with  her 
lover,  and  walked  back  under  the  brown  trees  of  the 
avenue,  while  Northmore  turned  his  horses'  heads  toward 
the  town  and  dropped  the  reins,  letting  them  take  their 
own  gait  while  he  reviewed  the  enchanted  hours  just 
past.  He  had  quite  forgotten  that  it  was  election  day 
until  he  entered  the  town  and  noted  the  unusual  stir  on 
the  streets.  He  was  surprised  at  the  number  who  knew 
him,  called  him  by  name,  and  pointed  him  out  to  their 
wives.  Rumours  of  the  result  were  already  afloat,  but 
he  went  to  his  room  to  do  a  little  unfinished  work  and 
look  over  his  mail. 

There  had  been  so  much  "  scratching  "  that  the  count 
was  slow.  He  went  back  after  dinner  to  finish  before 
authentic  returns  were  in,  but  had  scarcely  seated  him- 
self at  his  table  before  the  air  was  attacked  by  tin  horns 
and  campaign  yells,  unerring  forerunners  of  the  tide  of 
returns.  He  listened  for  the  name  of  the  winner. 

"What's  the  matter ?  He's  all  right!  "  yelled  the 

crowd.  He  could  not  catch  the  name,  though  it  surely 
had  two  syllables.  That  must  be  Morgan — of  course. 
Still  he  opened  the  window  to  make  sure.  "  What's  the 
matter  with ?  He's  all  right!  " 

He  caught  up  his  hat  to  go  out,  but  at  the  head  of 
the  stairs  he  met  two  men  who  were  coming  up ;  the  fore- 
most was  Quiggins. 

"  Hello,  Mr.  Northmore,  we've  come  to  congratulate 
you,"  he  said,  taking  off  his  hat  and  extending  an 
awkward  hand. 

"  Ah,  have  we  got  it  ?   Has  Jones  won  ?  " 


330  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

"Jones!  Thunder!  No,  it  ain't  Jones  we're  whoopin' 
up — it's  you?  " 

Northmore  stared  at  the  man  in  annoyance :  "  What 
do  you  mean?  "  he  asked. 

"  It's  no  joke,  Mr.  Northmore.  I  don't  know  what 
the  returns  from  other  towns  are — not  many  are  in  yet, 
but  Mogadonia's  voting  for  you  like  mad." 

"  For  me !  Why,  I'm  not  on  the  ticket.  It's  impos- 
sible." 

"  Can't  help  it,  Mr.  Northmore,  if  Mogadonia  was 
the  whole  district,  you'd  be  congressman  yourself.  I 
started  a  little  boom  for  you  out  at  the  quarry  'bout 
three  weeks  ago.  I  thought  you  deserved  it  more  than 
either  of  the  others,  and  it  would  put  you  in  line  for  the 
next  time.  Just  wait  two  years,  Mr.  Northmore,  and 
it'll  be  your  name  at  the  top  of  the  ticket  in  good 
earnest." 

Northmore  still  stared  stupidly  at  the  man :  "  Do 
you  mean  to  say  that  some  voters  have  actually  written 
my  name  on  their  tickets  ?  " 

"  Yes,  hundreds  of  'em.  I  did  myself,  and  they  do 
say — it's  the  biggest  joke  of  all — that  some  of  the  im- 
ported Morgan  heelers  started  a  boom  for  you  the  night 
of  the  fire.  I  believe  some  of  'em  actually  voted  that 
way,  too,  for  they  were  down  on  Tom  not  opening  his 
barrel  wider.  They  were  drunk  on  his  whisky!  Ain't 
that  rich?" 

"  How's  Jones  running?  " 

"  Fine — and  Morgan  falling  behind." 

"Ah!    Then  that— mistake  hasn't  cut  Jones?" 


ALTARS    TO    MAMMON  331 

"  It's  no  mistake,  Mr.  Northmore,  but  it's  helped 
Jones.  Some  of  us  wanted  you  so  bad — it  seemed  such 
a  shame  that  you  weren't  the  man — that  we  thought 
we'd  vote  for  you  anyhow.  If  the  people  want  a  man, 
and  he's  the  man  for  the  place — why,  it  can't  be  wrong 
to  try  to  put  him  there — and,  by  thunder ! — it  looked 
for  one  while  as  if  you'd  get  it." 

"  I'm  glad  it  didn't  hurt  Jones,"  breathed  North- 
more  in  profound  relief. 

The  din  in  the  streets  silenced  further  talk,  but  North- 
more's  name  was  in  every  blast,  having  attracted  more 
attention  from  its  sensational  use  than  the  legitimate 
candidates  who  received  the  bulk  of  the  vote. 

As  soon  after  midnight  as  he  could  get  a  wire  North- 
more  telegraphed  to  Jones :  "  Congratulations.  You  are 
elected  in  spite  of  blunder  over  my  name,"  and  at  day- 
light the  answer  came :  "  Thank  you,-  it  was  what  saved 
me,  can't  let  a  man  like  you  do  private  business,  will  you 
take  appointment?  " 

Northmore  put  this  into  his  pocket  with  a  smile, 
and  went  to  his  office  to  look  over  the  morning  mail  that 
he  might  go  to  Mrs.  Garnett's  during  the  forenoon,  for 
consultation. 

He  found  Florida  in  the  living  room  there,  a  little 
later,  her  eyes  pink  with  tears ;  a  curious  flutter  of 
mingled  pride  and  grief  in  her  voice.  She  had  fled  to 
these  steadfast  friends  in  the  hour  of  her  father's  hu- 
miliation and  her  lover's  vindication.  She  answered  the 
inquiry  of  Northmore's  eyes. 

"  Father  left  on  the  early  train — for  a  long  jour- 


332  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

ney.  He  says  he  is  going  round  the  world — but — do 
you  know — I  think  he  will  come  back  different.  He 
came  into  my  room  this  morning  before  it  was  light  to 
bid  me  good-bye,  and  there  was  something  so  changed 
in  his  manner.  He  asked,  '  How  did  it  happen, 
dearie?'  and  I  told  him  it  was  because  people  thought 
he  hadn't  been  fair  to  Ellis — and  some  of  the  other 
men.  And  he  looked  so  sad  and  walked  away.  A  minute 
after  he  came  back,  his  overcoat  on,  and  said,  *  I'm 
afraid  it's  forever  too  late.  Ellis  is  dead.'  And  there 
wasn't  anything  for  me  to  say.  I  hope  he  will  never 
know — how  bad  it  was  for  Ellis." 

"  I  hope  not ! "  echoed  Northmore  heartily,  recalling 
that  death  scene. 

Mrs.  Garnett  and  Silence  came  in  just  then  and  were 
full  of  interest  in  the  election.  While  they  were  talking 
over  the  strange  freak  of  the  voters  in  Northmore's  be- 
half, a  boy  brought  a  collection  of  telegrams  for  North- 
more  which  he  handed  to  Florida  as  he  read  them.  One 
was  from  the  junior  senator  from  the  State — of  the 
opposite  party — and  read,  "  Will  Mr.  Northmore  ac- 
cept consulship  to  Mexico,"  another  from  an  old  friend 
of  Northmore's  father,  a  prominent  manufacturer,  said, 
"  Am  looking  for  superintendent,  come  to  Cincinnati 
before  signing  elsewhere  " ;  two  or  three  were  offers  of 
smaller  opportunities,  political  and  otherwise,  and  con- 
gratulations and  comments  upon  the  singular  compli- 
ment he  had  received. 

"  But  what  of  us  if  you  accept  any  of  these  things  ?  " 
asked  Mrs.  Garnett  anxiously. 


ALTARS    TO   MAMMON  33S 

"  So  much  is  opening  up  in  the  business,"  pleaded 
Silence,  "  and  no  one  else  can  ever  carry  out  father's 
life  work." 

Northmore  looked  at  Florida  in  mute  questioning. 
Mrs.  Garnett  opened  her  lips  to  speak,  but  waited  his 
decision. 

"  Let  us  go  for  a  gallop  and  talk  it  over,  Florida," 
he  said.  "  I  saw  that  you  were  riding  this  morning." 

When  they  were  well  out  of  town,  climbing  the  steep 
road  up  Old  Whiteface,  she  checked  her  horse  for  a 
rest  and  turned  to  him  seriously. 

"  Where  can  you  live  most  truly  ?  What  will  give 
you  most  individually  ?  " 

"  To  stay  here — right  where  I  am.  It  has  been  a 
dream  of  mine  to  consecrate  my  life  in  business  activity. 
I  know  that  it  can  be  done — it  has  been  done  in  innu- 
merable quiet  instances.  I  don't  want  a  political  life — 
and  my  professional  one  has  been  a  failure.  But  you  ?  " 

"  I  should  love  it.    You  know  that." 

"  Then  we  will  go  back  and  tell  Mrs.  Garnett." 

"  Yes."  She  rode  out  on  the  little  plateau  where  they 
had  stopped  and  looked  down  upon  the  pottery  and  its 
cluster  of  pretty  homes  and  green  lawns. 

"  In  the  only  sermon  I  ever  heard  you  preach  you 
said  that  not  every  man  knew  whether  his  altar  was 
builded  to  God  or  to  Mammon.  Here  we  shall  build 
our  altar — to  God — for  our  people." 

"  Amen,"  he  said  softly,  laying  his  hand  upon  the 
gauntleted  one  that  rested  on  the  horn  of  her  saddle. 

When  they  announced  their  decision,  Mrs.  Garnett 


334  ALTARS    TO    MAMMON 

uttered  the  speech  that  had  stopped  upon  her  lips  be- 
fore they  had  gone  away :  "  Then,  Mr.  Northmore, 
you  may  take  entire  charge  and  I  will  be  a  silent  part- 
ner— an  equal  partner — yes,  that  is  no  more  than  fair. 
And  we  will  make  the  business  a  noble  monument  to  the 
man  who  planned  it — and  made  it  possible." 

"  We  can  do  it,"  answered  Northmore,  seeking 
Florida's  eyes. 

On  a  sparkling  morning  in  the  beginning  of  the  New 
Year  the  eastbound  express  took  on  a  young  couple  of 
such  distinction  of  appearance  that  the  passengers  of 
the  Pullman  car  paid  them  the  tribute  of  a  hearty  stare. 
A  few  people  had  come  to  see  them  off,  to  whom  they 
opened  a  window  to  say  a  last  good-bye  before  their 
long  journey,  then,  as  the  train  moved  out,  they  bent  to 
look  down  at  the  housetops  of  the  queer,  beloved  town 
below.  The  train  plunged  into  the  tunnel;  when  it 
emerged  there  was  a  fleeting  glimpse  of  a  grey  turreted 
house  against  the  white  blanket  of  Blue  Mountain.  The 
young  man  grasped  his  wife's  hand  as  it  lay  on  the  sill, 
"We  are  not  looking  backward,  darling,  are  we?" 

For  the  look  in  the  deeps  of  her  eyes  he  could  have 
lost  all  else:  "Only  to  measure  all  that  is  before  us," 
she  said. 


THE    END 


